The Prisoner of Beauty

Unlike Zhu Shi, when Grandmother spoke these words, her tone sounded no different from usual, and there was no sign of the excitement one might expect.

If there was anything different from the norm, it was the almost proud glimmer in Xiao Qiao's single eye as she looked at her.

These heroes and tyrants forged this chaotic world, and it was this very chaos that gave rise to new heroes and tyrants.

Wei Shao's grandmother truly had reason to be proud, Xiao Qiao thought to herself, especially since she had a grandson like Wei Shao, who had risen to become a regional overlord at such a young age. Moreover, he had now captured Jinyang. From a military standpoint, Jinyang was far more than just a city; its incorporation into Wei Shao's domain signified not only his genuine unification of the North, making him the true overlord of the North, but most importantly, he had gained control of this land known as the granary of the world.

With a sufficient supply of provisions guaranteed, this was the greatest assurance for future ambitions in the heartland of the Central Plains. The Chen family, despite possessing such a treasure, ultimately ended up as mere garments for others, and they could only blame their own incompetence.

From the very first day she arrived in this world, the future that could be called a nightmare had repeatedly haunted her. With the appearance of the woman named Su Nu and Wei Shao's march toward unifying the North, it was steadily becoming a reality, step by step, along the predetermined trajectory.

If nothing unexpected occurred, her husband Wei Shao would ultimately ascend to the throne.

This conclusion was not merely drawn from her own nightmare or some mysterious concept of fate, but rather from her firsthand observations of the man Wei Shao after joining the Wei family. She had witnessed his boundless ambition, abundant energy, his disregard for all others, and his relentless drive forward.

A man like this, who could navigate the tumultuous conflicts of a chaotic era and emerge victorious, would never do so by mere chance.

Thus, Xiao Qiao could not help but feel even more doubtful. In this life, Wei Shao's wife was no longer Da Qiao. With the change of wives, would Su Nu, who had finally appeared before her after this journey to Zhongshan, still follow the trajectory of her past life and, as she knew, ultimately stand side by side with him, becoming the founding Empress of this beautiful land?

All her understanding of her past life came to a halt at the moment Wei Shao ascended to the throne, Da Qiao took her own life, and Su Nu was established as Empress after Liu Yan's city fell.

She suddenly wanted to know, after Wei Shao in his past life had fulfilled his wish to become Emperor, hand in hand with his beloved, and finally destroyed the Qiao family, when he occasionally thought of that pitiful woman whom he had coldly treated throughout her life and who could not even enter the Wei family tomb after her death, would there be a trace of pity or guilt in his iron heart?

What would his ultimate fate be?

……

(Previous life.)

Three months ago, Wei Shao's army invaded Luoyang, pressing into the imperial palace's Zhuque Gate. Prior to this, Xing Xun, having deposed the last Han Emperor and proclaimed himself Emperor facing south, found himself surrounded on all sides with no way to escape, ultimately resorting to self-immolation in the Northern Palace.

The fire in the Northern Palace raged for three days and nights before it was extinguished.

Half a month later, Wei Shao conducted a sacrifice in the northern suburbs, proclaimed himself Emperor in the Hall of Eternal Longevity, and established the era name "Yan."

That year, he was just over thirty, becoming the new master of Luoyang, a capital with a population of a million.

He established ancestral temples and state sacrifices, rewarded merit and punished crimes, yet the position of Empress in his harem remained unfilled.

In his harem, there were two women.

One was Da Qiao, his legitimate wife whom he married ten years ago.

The other was Su Nu, his favored concubine who had served him for many years.

He had unified the North years ago, and now all the warlords in the Central Plains, including those in Luoyang, had been defeated. The few remaining fish that slipped through the net were merely struggling to survive, and he did not concern himself with them.

The only territory that caught his eye but had not yet fallen into his hands was Yong.

Two years ago, in response to Xing Xun's usurpation, some loyal subjects of the Han dynasty welcomed the original Prince of Langya, Liu Yan, to Yong, establishing a small Han court with the capital set in Yong.

As long as he captured this small court in Yong, the world would fall under Wei Shao's control.

In fact, just days after Wei Shao entered Luoyang and Xing Xun self-immolated, envoys arrived with the small court's decree, appointing him as Grand Chancellor and Grand General, inviting him to Yong to welcome the Emperor back to Luoyang, recognizing the legitimate Liu Yan as the Emperor of the world.

Wei Shao laughed heartily at that time; anyone could see his disdain and arrogance.

He said, "If heaven grants it and one does not take it, one will surely suffer the consequences."

Half a month later, he raised troops to attack the small court.

Before departing, he still did not appoint Da Qiao as Empress, nor did he, as others speculated, elevate Su Nu, whom he had favored for many years, to that position.

He did only one thing: he conferred the title of Madam upon Su Nu.

This was the highest rank among the concubines beneath the Empress in the harem.

Then he left Luoyang to personally lead the campaign against Yong.

The day after he left, Su Nu arrived at the Northern Palace's Chongde Hall.

……

The Luoyang imperial palace was grand and magnificent, divided into southern and northern palaces. The southern palace was where the Emperor held court and discussed state matters, while the northern palace served as the sleeping quarters for the Emperor and his consorts.

The great fire ignited by Xing Xun half a month ago had destroyed most of the northern palace's buildings, leaving only a few remnants. Wei Shao, eager to eliminate the small court, did not immediately order repairs but instead instructed that the few remaining rooms from the fire be tidied up for temporary use.

Su Nu resided in the most luxurious Yanxiu Hall, while the surviving consorts and palace maids from Xing Xun and the former Han Empress were all placed in the eastern Zengxi Pavilion, and Da Qiao was relegated to the most remote Chongde Hall.

She had been ill for a long time. Only an old woman was by her side, attending to her medicine and meals.

Long ago, before she was married, in her hometown of Dongjun, she and her sister Xiao Qiao were known for their beauty, referred to as the "Double Qiao."

Now, at twenty-five or twenty-six, she should have been in the prime of her life, blooming with beauty, yet she had become emaciated. The hand resting on the bed was so thin that the skin barely covered the blue veins that resembled a spider's web. Only when she opened her eyes could one still faintly discern a trace of the beauty she once possessed.

Da Qiao felt very thirsty. She had been thirsty for a long time. She knew that the old woman was reluctant to serve her; she had just tried to struggle to get up and pour herself some water. But she simply could not rise. It felt as if all her strength had gradually slipped away from her.

She called out to the old woman in a weak voice once more. The old woman finally entered, her footsteps making a sharp clattering sound on the tiled floor.

The old woman poured a cup of already cold water and brought it to the bedside, clumsily placing the cup on the edge of the bed.

Half of the water spilled out, soaking the bedding.

"The maid is busy preparing your medicine! If it's not a big deal, it's better not to call," she grumbled irritably before turning to leave.

This woman assigned to serve her, though nominally the legitimate wife of the Emperor of Yan, was well aware that the Emperor had never even glanced at her.

In fact, they privately speculated that the Emperor not only never looked at her but had not even touched her finger in all these years.

To be a woman in such a state was a shameful existence.

……

Da Qiao struggled to sit up slowly.

She was too thin. So thin that even sitting up caused her discomfort.

As she reached for the cup of water she had finally managed to summon, she suddenly felt as if a light had shone before her, illuminating the dim and lifeless chamber.

It was a woman approaching her bed.

The woman was in her thirties but looked exceptionally well-preserved, her skin smooth and plump, forming a stark contrast to the emaciated Da Qiao. She wore an intricate and elaborate nine-looped hairdo adorned with bright phoenix-shaped hairpins, and the strings of glass beads hanging from the phoenix's beak jingled softly with her every step. Just this hairstyle alone required two maids to spend half an hour to arrange. She wore a luxurious purple silk skirt embroidered with flowers, a fabric so intricate and precious that it could take twenty skilled women a year to weave just one piece. Men of status typically used it only as a decorative belt. Yet she had fashioned it into an entire skirt. The embroidered shoes on her feet had three-inch high soles, adorned with golden threads, and the shoe tops were covered in pearls, each toe embellished with a lively golden butterfly, fluttering with her movements, making it hard to look away.

She was Su Nu, Wei Shao's favored concubine, now the Madam of the harem, and for many years, the only woman by Wei Shao's side.

Upon seeing Madam Su, the old woman immediately displayed a fawning expression and knelt down to bow her head.

Su Nu instructed the old woman to leave. The old woman retreated, leaving only Da Qiao and Su Nu in the chamber.

Su Nu walked to the bedside, sat down, and personally lifted the cup of cold water, bringing it to Da Qiao's lips, smiling as she said, "I heard you are quite ill. With the Emperor away at Yong, and us being sisters, I thought I would come to see you."

Da Qiao remained motionless.

Su Nu glanced at her cracked lips and slightly furrowed her brow.

In her thirties, though well-maintained, this unintentional small gesture revealed a few fine lines of varying lengths around her eyes and between her brows.

She said, "What kind of servants are these? How dare they bring you such cold water to drink in winter!" With that, she threw the cup to the ground. The bamboo cup shattered with a strange clattering sound, rolling forward and spilling a puddle of water on the blue tiles.

Da Qiao still did not move.

Su Nu studied Da Qiao for a moment: "Before the Emperor left the capital, he conferred the title of Madam upon me; you must have heard about it?"

Da Qiao naturally did not know. No one had told her. She did not care about such things.

"The Emperor was supposed to do one more thing: to appoint you as Empress. But he did not. Naturally, the Emperor could not make you Empress. But as long as you live even a single day, I cannot become the Emperor's Empress."

Finally, she sighed, looking at Da Qiao with sympathy and pity: "So, I truly do not understand why, having reached this point, you still cling to life, unwilling to die?"

……

Yes, why still cling to life, unwilling to die?

Da Qiao asked herself.

What sustained her at this point might be the moonlight that lingered in the back garden of her home in Dongjun, and the memory of that man with the green eye watching her leave.

……

Seeing Da Qiao unresponsive, Su Nu gazed at her intently.

"Qiao Nu," she spoke in a seemingly casual tone, "in this world, everyone has their desires. Men seek high positions and wealth, to bring glory to their ancestors; women seek a noble husband and honor, or at the very least, a loving heart, marrying a suitable partner. But you may not know that nothing in this world comes easily. Even if heaven grants it, one must take it for oneself. I know you must hate me deeply, but you do not understand that everything I have today did not come easily."

Her vermilion lips slowly revealed a hint of a smile, followed by a gentle sigh that carried a trace of self-pity.

"Originally, I probably would never have had the chance to say these words to anyone in my lifetime," she said. "But for some reason, at this moment, I suddenly want to share them with you."

She fell silent for a moment, as if lost in memories of the past.

"I was born into the family of the Marquis of Zhongshan, and I have known the Emperor since childhood. I am two years older than him. By the time I was fourteen, I had already determined in my heart that he would be my husband one day. Unfortunately, fate did not align; the Wei family encountered misfortune, and by the time I was seventeen, my parents married me off to Liu Li. Naturally, I was reluctant. But I also knew that even if I defied my parents' wishes and the Emperor was willing to marry me, the Wei family would not accept me, as I could not win the favor of the Emperor's grandmother, whom he revered greatly..."

When she mentioned "the Emperor's grandmother," a strange look of distaste briefly crossed her lips before disappearing.

"After weighing my options, I followed my parents' wishes and married Liu Li. I devoted nearly ten years to this incompetent man from the Liu family, who ultimately did not ascend to the throne and instead died in disgrace. After becoming a widow, the old man Xing Xun, who entered Luoyang, coveted my beauty and wished to take me as his wife. How could I submit? I returned to the Kingdom of Zhongshan, and after much effort, I finally saw the Emperor again..."

She fixed her gaze on Da Qiao: "When we met, the Emperor asked in surprise why my voice had been ruined. I told him I knew he loved my singing voice, and before I married, I had poisoned myself to ruin it. Even though I had to marry another, I could still preserve my voice for him. The Emperor was moved at that time. Little did he know, my voice was merely a result of a past illness and a medication mishap..."

"Qiao Nu, from that moment, I knew I had rekindled old feelings in the Emperor. When he married you, he was twenty-two. Yet there were no concubines in his chambers. Do you know why? Because I once joked with him, asking why men with beloved women still took multiple wives, while women had to remain chaste for their husbands. We had lost contact for many years; why did he not approach other women? It must be because he remembered my careless words from back then, which made him view all women as mere broomsticks..."

Su Nu laughed, a hint of pride glimmering in her eyes.

"Even though we parted ways back then, so what? He was merely a young man at that time, and the memories I left him with as his older sister are something he could never forget. Moreover, when he was gravely injured and his mother fell ill, I stayed at the Wei family for half a year, tirelessly caring for both mother and son. With such a bond, no matter how great my faults, he could never treat me harshly."

Da Qiao stared at her in a daze.

But Su Nu's gaze gradually turned cold.

"Qiao Nu, your fate is indeed pitiful. Given your current state, I originally did not wish to harm you. However, unfortunately, if you do not die, the Emperor's position will likely remain vacant indefinitely. I am not without patience, but I cannot wait that long. Do you know that with the position vacant, being conferred as Madam is a humiliation for me? I have gone to great lengths to reach this point. What have you done, occupying the title of the Emperor's legitimate wife for ten years as the daughter of the Wei family's enemy? It is only because you were brought in by the Emperor's grandmother! Only when you die will the Emperor appoint me as Empress."

"So, why are you still unwilling to die?"

Finally, she stood up, looking down at Da Qiao with cold eyes, and slowly repeated her words.

The author has something to say: Thank you to the following readers for your support. Actually, just subscribing and leaving comments is wonderful, and I am just as happy. But of course, I am very grateful for everyone's love, muah~ (づ￣3￣)づ