The Prisoner of Beauty

(In a previous life)

In Wei Shao's anticipation, the conquest of Yong was originally a minor affair. Compared to the numerous battles he had experienced since he began personally commanding military operations at the age of seventeen, this objective seemed as easy as walking on flat ground.

He expected the campaign to conclude within three months at most.

Unexpectedly, after winning the initial two minor battles and forcing Emperor Liu Yan to retreat westward from Yongdu to Fufeng, a highly capable and commanding general suddenly emerged under his command. This man, of similar age, possessed an uncommon green pupil and was originally a refugee leader from the south. Wei Shao had heard of him before but had not paid much attention at the time. He had planned to deal with such remnants of refugee leaders after conquering Yongdu and then turn his forces southward to completely eliminate them.

It was this green-eyed man, whom Liu Yan had enfeoffed as the Prince of Huaiyin, who caused significant obstacles to Wei Shao's campaign against Yong. After suffering setbacks and facing the harsh winter, which made it difficult for the soldiers to endure, Wei Shao decided to temporarily withdraw and return to Luoyang, planning to resume the campaign after the spring warmth arrived.

Upon returning to Luoyang, he learned that Lady Qiao had swallowed gold and committed suicide the day after he left Luoyang.

Although the news came somewhat suddenly, to be honest, he was not entirely surprised. Given Lady Qiao's previously half-dead state, suicide was not an unlikely possibility.

He certainly did not feel sorrow over her death.

What surprised him was that Su Ehuang had made the decision on his behalf to bury Lady Qiao outside the Wei family's burial grounds.

This displeased Wei Shao. Not out of pity for Lady Qiao. If he had made the decision himself, he might not have allowed her to be buried alongside him.

However, Lady Qiao was his grandmother's choice as his principal wife. Now that Lady Qiao was dead, Su Ehuang had made this significant decision without his consent. This made him feel a sense of offended displeasure—not only towards himself but also towards his grandmother, who had passed away many years ago.

Su Ehuang must have sensed his displeasure. That night, in the imperial bed, she did her utmost to serve him.

Wei Shao had not touched a woman for months. He had a natural need for release. But tonight, perhaps due to the previous setbacks in the campaign or the lingering displeasure in his heart, Su Ehuang's advances did not arouse him. He felt somewhat indifferent and stopped her when she attempted to please him orally, asking her about her decision to bury Lady Qiao outside the family grounds.

Su Ehuang was terrified and immediately got off the bed, kneeling naked on the floor, begging for his forgiveness.

She explained that such matters should have been left for His Majesty to decide upon his return. However, before the campaign against Yong, His Majesty had entrusted her with the affairs of the inner palace. Lady Qiao, being the daughter of an enemy family, had chosen to commit suicide by swallowing gold the day after His Majesty's departure for the campaign, which was inauspicious and showed ill intent. At the time, she was too indignant to think clearly and ordered the burial. Now, upon reflection, she regretted it. If His Majesty was angered and found it inappropriate, she was willing to have Lady Qiao exhumed and given a proper burial, and she would accept any punishment from His Majesty.

Su Ehuang's explanation seemed reasonable and without flaw. She finished speaking with tears streaming down her face.

Wei Shao looked down at Su Ehuang kneeling at his feet, crying, and felt a surge of irritation, even disgust. But in the end, he said nothing and remained silent.Su Ehuang slowly wiped away her tears and crawled back to his side. She lowered her head and gradually leaned against the root of his thigh.

……

"I can grant your wish and make you my empress."

After the act, Wei Shao, with his eyes closed, spoke to Su Ehuang, who still nestled beside him.

"The new princess from Goguryeo was presented today, and the Grand Chancellor also submitted a memorial suggesting that I expand the harem. Besides the Goguryeo princess, there are eight other women, all gifts from various regions seeking peace."

"I have accepted them."

He continued, his voice calm.

……

All these events from the past, which occurred after the death of the younger daughter of the Qiao family in her previous life, were naturally unknown to the current Xiao Qiao.

She was also unaware that eight years later in her previous life, Wei Shao, the founding emperor who had completely unified the realm, driven the Xiongnu to relocate their royal court, and incorporated vast territories into the Great Yan Empire, was brimming with ambition and preparing to launch another military campaign against the Western Regions. However, in the southern barbarian lands of Baling, the green-eyed man, the only worthy adversary he had ever encountered on the battlefield, rose in rebellion once again. The emperor, furious upon learning that the green-eyed man had not died years ago, ignored all advice and personally led the campaign to suppress the rebellion.

In a place called Guixiang, during a battle, the emperor was unexpectedly killed by a stray arrow that seemed to descend from the heavens.

He died at the age of thirty-nine.

With Wei Shao's sudden death in his prime, the Great Yan Empire, which had existed for only eight years, crumbled. The Xiongnu returned, the Central Plains fragmented once more, local warlords carved out their own territories, and the people were plunged back into the turmoil of war. The situation regressed, as if it had returned to the state of a decade earlier.

……

Xiao Qiao noticed Madam Xu looking at her after finishing her words and revealed a delighted smile.

"That's wonderful. I hope my husband can return home soon," she said.

Madam Xu nodded with a smile.

Madam Zhu, who had been watching Xiao Qiao, slowly stiffened her expression, which had been full of smiles.

Xiao Qiao's simple words had once again touched a nerve in Madam Zhu's heart.

When the Qiao girl first arrived at the Wei residence, she had thought her son would share her hatred for her. Unexpectedly, not only did her son share a bed with her, but he also seemed to be quite protective of her.

She was Wei Shao's mother, the one who had given birth to and raised him. Although there were many aspects of her son that she couldn't understand or figure out, as a mother, she could still discern whether her son liked something or not.

Her son had successfully captured Jinyang and would soon return home, which was naturally a great joy. However, the thought of her son's return inevitably gave the Qiao girl another opportunity. Even if her son was merely bewitched by her beauty and treated her as a plaything, it still felt like a drill constantly boring into her heart.

In fact, for Madam Zhu, aside from her niece Zheng Shu, there was no other woman in the world worthy of being her son's wife.

Apart from Zheng Shu, any other woman was trying to take her son away from her.

Moreover, this Qiao girl came from the enemy Qiao family.

She stared at Xiao Qiao's smiling face with a slightly sharp gaze, somewhat lost in thought.

"I have also received another piece of news," Madam Xu added with a smile. "Your maternal family will be visiting in a few days, and your brother will be among them."

……Xue Tai's retreat from the battlefield allowed Yanzhou to narrowly escape disaster once again. Zhang Pu and others then advised Qiao Yue to take this opportunity to send an envoy to Yuyang, both to express gratitude and to potentially strengthen the relationship between the two families. Qiao Yue agreed and immediately selected an envoy. Upon hearing the news, Qiao Ci requested to accompany the envoy. Qiao Ping knew that his son must be missing Xiao Qiao, and considering that his daughter had already married into the Wei family, regardless of his previous reluctance, it was now a settled matter. Moreover, Wei Shao had indeed played a significant role in helping Yanzhou through its crisis. If this opportunity could be used to mend relations, it would be a case of turning misfortune into fortune. Therefore, he did not stop his son, only giving him many instructions before his departure.

Qiao Ci readily agreed, and on the day of departure, he set off with the envoy and a group of people, carrying generous gifts, and was now on his way to Yuyang.

……

The news that her younger brother Qiao Ci was coming to visit her filled Xiao Qiao with great joy.

Having been in the north for nearly half a year, she also missed her family dearly. In her heart, she was also concerned about the whereabouts of Da Qiao and Bi Zhi. When she had seen them off, Da Qiao had promised to send her a message once they had settled down, if the opportunity arose.

She had been waiting for their letter.

Moreover, she now had some other things she wanted to say to her father. Originally, she had planned to write a letter. Now that her brother was coming, it was the perfect opportunity to have him deliver the message.

……

This unexpected good news dispelled the small shadow that the trip to Zhongshan had left in Xiao Qiao's heart. She eagerly counted the days, hoping to see her brother Qiao Ci sooner.

Half a month later, before Qiao Ci and his group arrived, Wei Shao returned first.

……

The victory at Jinyang had significantly boosted Wei Shao's military strength. His army had expanded to three hundred thousand soldiers, with one hundred thousand stationed in Jinyang, and the rest divided between Fanyang, Xindu, and one hundred thousand returning with him to Yuyang.

On that day, Yuyang was like a festival, with the city gates wide open and the people lining the streets to welcome the return of their Lord.

Wei Shao left the main force of his army in the camps outside the four gates, entering the city with only a personal guard of two thousand men. The guards, all in bright armor and marching in perfect formation, passed through the city gates to the excited cheers of the people. The cries of "The Lord has returned" and "Victory is certain" rose and fell, so loud that even Xiao Qiao, within the high walls of the Wei residence, could hear them clearly.

Madam Xu and Zhu Shi had already arrived at the main gate to welcome him.

Xiao Qiao stood quietly behind Zhu Shi, her gaze fixed on the wide path outside the gate.

Gradually, she saw a group of riders appear in the distance.

The figures became clearer and clearer.

At the forefront was Wei Shao, who had been away for four months.

Madam Xu could no longer contain her joy and hurried forward, descending the steps.

Wei Shao saw his grandmother and quickly urged his horse forward. Before reaching her, he dismounted and took several large strides to her side, kneeling on one knee before her and saying, "Grandson has not failed your expectations, returning victorious today! I have caused you worry!"

Madam Xu quickly helped him up from the ground.

Li Dian, Wei Liang, and others who had accompanied Wei Shao also arrived, dismounting and stepping forward to pay their respects and express their gratitude to Madam Xu.Madam Xu laughed heartily, "It is I who should thank you loyal ministers and brave generals on behalf of my late husband! Without your support, relying solely on our Wei family, how could we have achieved the prosperity of Youzhou today? I have prepared a victory banquet for our soldiers and young men. Today, let us all relax and not return until we are drunk!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter, the atmosphere at the entrance of the Wei residence filled with boldness and joy.

Wei Shao was pulled aside by Madam Zhu for a conversation. After responding briefly, his gaze drifted over Madam Zhu's head to Xiao Qiao, who stood behind her.

Seeing him look at her, Xiao Qiao smiled slightly at him.

...

Wei Shao was still clad in his armor. Moreover, after four months of marching and fighting among men, he had inevitably neglected his grooming. The first thing upon returning home was to bathe and change clothes.

The maids and servants from the west wing all lined up at the door to welcome him. As Wei Shao entered, they followed to attend to him.

In front of Madam Xu and Madam Zhu, it was manageable. But once inside the room, Wei Shao's gaze fixed directly on Xiao Qiao's face.

Being stared at like this, Xiao Qiao couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. Moreover, they had only been married for a little over six months, and the time they had spent together was almost less than half the time they had been apart.

They had just started to get familiar with each other, and then several months had passed in between. Now, standing before her again with his unkempt beard, Xiao Qiao couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of unfamiliarity.

But since he wanted to look at her, she couldn't very well tell him not to. She could only lower her head slightly, her eyes level with his chest, as she reached up to help him undress.

"All of you, leave."

Wei Shao suddenly said.

Chun Niang and the other maids exchanged glances, immediately put down what they were doing, and filed out one by one.

Chun Niang was the last to leave. As she closed the door, she glanced at Xiao Qiao.

The look in Chun Niang's eyes was clear to Xiao Qiao; it was a signal to cheer up the Lord who had just returned home.

Xiao Qiao suddenly felt flustered, but she couldn't very well ask Chun Niang to stay. She watched helplessly as Chun Niang disappeared behind the door, which then closed.

Xiao Qiao's expression unconsciously became more serious, as she meticulously continued to help him remove his armor.

A buckle at his waist seemed to be stuck, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't open it.

Her hands kept fumbling at his waist, but she just couldn't undo it. Feeling his constant gaze on her, Xiao Qiao grew even more nervous. With the onset of summer, the weather was getting warmer, and even the tip of her nose was beading with fine sweat. Just as she was about to look up and ask for his help, her hand was pressed down as one of his hands enveloped hers completely.

"Did you miss me these past days?"

Xiao Qiao's ear grew warm.

Wei Shao leaned down, whispering to her as if in her ear, while gently squeezing her hand.

From years of wielding swords, his palm was rough and calloused, kneading her soft, boneless hand. An ambiguous atmosphere naturally arose.

Xiao Qiao felt her face begin to heat up.

Wei Shao was teasing her. Even someone as insensitive as her could sense it.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally raised her eyes, looking at him softly and saying, "There are many people outside waiting for you! Let Chun Niang and the others come in and quickly help you wash up—""Did you miss me? Hmm?" he repeated, cutting her off. Suddenly, he increased his strength, giving her hand a firm squeeze. The force was so great that it even caused her a bit of pain. His face pressed closer, and their cheeks brushed against each other. It seemed intentional, as she could feel the prickly sensation of his stubble against her skin, a mix of pain, numbness, and itchiness.