The Prisoner of Beauty

It was the latter half of the night. The soft silk curtains and bedding carried a faint, soothing fragrance that permeated the air.

After spending half a month in the humble lodgings of the border town, Wei Shao found himself unable to sleep well upon returning home.

The woman beside him, Xiao Qiao, however, slept soundly, already deep in her dreams.

He had only managed to close his eyes for a brief moment earlier in the night. After waking up, he couldn’t fall back asleep. He had already opened his eyes more than once to glance at the person lying next to him.

The emotions that had been building up in his heart since daytime, along with the inexplicable fire burning in his body at this moment, refused to subside.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, turning his face toward her.

The two of them always slept under separate blankets. Every night, she would tightly tuck herself in, wrapping the blanket snugly around her body. Tonight was no different.

The light inside the bed curtains was dim, but he could still make out her figure curled up in a ball, motionless under the blanket, like a docile kitten.

As Wei Shao gazed at her silhouette outlined in the hazy night, the fire within him grew even stronger—his mind once again flashed back to that night. It was on this very bed, and she had done those things for him.

Now he felt the need again. Not just a need, but an overwhelming urge that he could no longer suppress on his own.

Last time, seeing her in pain had softened his heart, and he had let it go.

Although she was a daughter of the Qiao family, someone he had no intention of touching, she was also the woman his grandmother had arranged for him to marry. If his grandmother found out that he still hadn’t consummated their marriage, she would surely reprimand him.

Wei Shao decided he couldn’t hold back any longer.

As if by coincidence, Xiao Qiao, in her sleep, seemed to be dreaming of something. Wei Shao heard her mumble something indistinct, like she had a dumpling in her mouth, and then she rolled over toward him.

His arm was gently pressed against something soft, and even through the blanket, he could feel its pliant and inviting texture.

A wave of heat surged through his body. Wei Shao shuddered. He lifted his leg and hooked it over hers, his hand reaching out to wrap around her waist, pulling her entire body into his embrace.

……

Strangely enough, since coming here, Xiao Qiao had never again had the terrifying nightmares about her past life that she used to have back in the Qiao family.

After figuring out the reason for Wei Shao’s displeasure earlier in the evening, she had let it go.

If he was really angry with her, there was nothing she could do. It wasn’t her who had forced his grandmother to bring her here.

The day’s work of inscribing the mural had been exhausting. When she first returned, her arms and shoulders had ached, but after lying down, the soreness seemed to spread throughout her entire body. Her eyelids quickly grew heavy, and she fell asleep.

Just moments ago, she had been in a hazy sleep, dreaming that Chun Niang was massaging her muscles and bones. At first, Chun Niang had gently kneaded her shoulders and back, the movements slow and the pressure just right. It felt quite comfortable, and Xiao Qiao had even hummed a few times in encouragement. But then, in the dream, Chun Niang started massaging her chest and stomach, and it went on for a while before moving further down… and then…

In any case, Chun Niang’s strength grew stronger, and her hands seemed to wander into more daring places. It even started to hurt.Xiao Qiao felt something was amiss even in her dream. Chun Niang wouldn’t grope her so recklessly, nor would she be so rough with her. Moreover, the sensation felt too real, and in her dream, she sensed that this couldn’t just be a dream. She wanted to open her eyes to stop that hand, but she had been sleeping too deeply, like a pig, her eyelids glued shut, and for a moment, she couldn’t open them. She whimpered a few times, feeling uncomfortable, when suddenly she felt herself being flipped over entirely. A chill ran over her body as if her clothes had been removed, leaving her sprawled on her back. Then, with a heavy thud, something as weighty and warm as a mountain pressed down on her.

Xiao Qiao’s chest caved slightly under the pressure, but fortunately, her body was flexible enough not to be crushed. However, her breath caught, and her drowsiness vanished completely. She snapped her eyes open and vaguely saw a face hovering just inches above hers. The warmth on her cheeks was the person’s breath. Startled, she opened her mouth to scream, but before the sound could fully form, her mouth was sealed shut.

Of course, it was Wei Shao who used his own mouth to silence hers.

He didn’t want her startled scream to wake Chun Niang or any other maids sleeping in the adjacent room, especially not at this moment when he was so excited.

As soon as he covered her mouth, he found her lips fragrant, soft, and warm, and kissing her felt incredibly pleasant. Unable to resist, he licked her lips a few times, and when her mouth remained open, he took the opportunity to explore her tongue with his own. Their tongues met.

By now, Xiao Qiao was fully awake and realized that the person manhandling her was Wei Shao.

At first, she was too stunned to react, her mind completely blank. She just lay there with her mouth open, motionless, like a frog caught in the beam of a flashlight on a summer night. After a moment, she became aware of what was happening. Feeling his tongue probing into her mouth, an indescribable sensation—perhaps a mix of disgust and tingling—washed over her. She quickly shook her head to avoid it. But while she tried to evade, he was too excited to let her go, and their tongues chased each other in her small mouth. In the end, Xiao Qiao couldn’t escape, and his tongue tightly entwined with hers.

Xiao Qiao’s head spun again.

This time, it was likely due to a lack of oxygen. Just as she was about to suffocate, the man finally released her mouth.

Fresh air filled her lungs, and Xiao Qiao immediately gasped for breath. But before she could fully recover, her legs were parted once more.

……

Since marrying into the Wei family, Xiao Qiao hadn’t expected to cling to any notions of chastity. If anyone was to blame, it was Wei Shao. On their wedding night, he had pulled a sword from under the pillow and pointed it at her nose, then refused to consummate the marriage. Even if she had wanted to offer herself, there had been no opportunity.

Since her husband didn’t want to sleep with her, she certainly wasn’t going to worship cucumbers either. Gradually, Xiao Qiao had grown accustomed to them sleeping separately, like two parallel streams that never crossed—except for that one night when he was on drugs, which, like an act of God in an insurance clause, didn’t count.

She never expected that after being away for half a month, he would return in the middle of the night, suddenly overcome with desire, and it seemed like he was serious this time.

Xiao Qiao felt a bit panicked. She wasn’t prepared for things to escalate so suddenly and so quickly.His movements were rough and crude, with no foreplay whatsoever, immediately going for a deep connection. His groping hands fiercely pinched her soft thighs, causing her pain.

Xiao Qiao listened to his heavy, labored breathing, and an untimely thought of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" suddenly popped into her mind.

In that fairy tale, although the male lead was a complete beast, he was gentle and considerate towards the female lead.

She considered herself a beauty, yet Wei Shao was even worse than a beast!

Xiao Qiao felt his body tense up. Although she tried to relax and cooperate to avoid suffering, she couldn't relax at all and ended up tensing up just like him. When the pain she had briefly experienced before—the feeling of being torn apart—came again, she couldn't hold back and instinctively kicked out at him with all her might.

Xiao Qiao had excellent flexibility. Her leg lifted high, and with a loud "smack," it seemed like she had landed a kick right on Wei Shao's face.

He let out a muffled groan.

Xiao Qiao hadn't expected her aim to be so accurate, and now that she had kicked his face, she felt a bit guilty. She quickly lowered her trembling leg and said in a shaky voice, "You're hurting me. Can't you take it slower…"

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door, sounding particularly clear in the silent night.

"Lord! General Wei has rushed here from Shiyi overnight, saying he has urgent military intelligence to report to you!" a voice called from outside the door.

General Wei, of course, was Wei Liang.

Wei Shao's figure froze instantly.

Xiao Qiao, who had just kicked him so hard and so accurately, felt a bit guilty but also relieved. She hurriedly urged him, "General Wei has traveled through the night. My lord, go and see him quickly. Don't delay important matters!"

Her voice trembled, and she was also breathing heavily.

Wei Shao knelt between her legs for a moment, then suddenly threw aside the bed curtains, jumped off the bed, quickly dressed, and left the room without a word to Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao pricked up her ears and heard him exchange a few low words with the messenger before the footsteps quickly faded away.

She let out a long sigh, touching her chest, which was already soaked with sweat.

Half from holding back, half from the pain.

...

Wei Liang had fully recovered from his injuries. A few days ago, he had brought a letter from Gongsun Yang and rushed nonstop from Shiyi to Yuyang. He had just arrived moments ago, having the city gates opened to enter. Seeing that dawn was still some time away, he couldn't wait and came straight over.

Wei Shao received him in the study.

Wei Liang knelt on one knee and saluted, then took out the letter from Gongsun Yang and handed it over with both hands, saying, "The military situation is truly urgent, which is why I came to disturb you in the middle of the night. Please forgive me, my lord!"

Wei Shao said nothing, took the letter, and quickly scanned it. His expression grew serious.

He motioned for Wei Liang to rise.Wei Liang stood up and said, "According to the intelligence reports, Chen Xiang of Bingzhou has already gathered an army of 150,000 men, preparing to march towards Shiyi. Moreover, he has betrothed one of his daughters to the fifth son of Xue Tai of Xuzhou, offering, in addition to the dowry, 100,000 hu of grain and 1,000 taels of gold, instructing Xue Tai to attack Yanzhou. The two have already formed an alliance. My Lord, you have married the Qiao daughter of Yanzhou. If Yanzhou is in crisis, they will surely seek your military aid. If you send troops to assist Yanzhou, then Shiyi will be in danger, and it will be difficult to withstand Chen Xiang's 150,000 troops. If you fight fiercely at Shiyi and do not rescue Yanzhou, then Yanzhou will be hard to protect, and your marital alliance with the Qiao family will be rendered meaningless, inviting even more criticism. To rescue or not to rescue—this is Chen Xiang's strategy of making it impossible for you to attend to both ends. How will you respond, my Lord?"