The Prisoner of Beauty

"Were you happy just now?"

After their intimate moment, Wei Shao was still holding Xiao Qiao close, whispering in her ear and nuzzling against her on the pillow.

Xiao Qiao felt too lazy to move, so she kept her eyes closed and didn’t respond to him. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her buttock as Wei Shao gave it a firm squeeze with his large hand.

She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. Biting her lip, she reluctantly mumbled a couple of vague sounds. Wei Shao smiled, a hint of smugness in his expression, and pulled her into his embrace. After a moment, he said in a calm tone, "Your younger brother seems to have some prejudice against me."

Xiao Qiao was taken aback and observed his expression.

His face was calm, as if he had just casually mentioned it without any underlying emotions. The simplicity of his statement left her puzzled about his sudden remark, so she asked, "Has my brother been disrespectful or offended you in any way?"

Wei Shao paused for a moment before replying, "No."

Xiao Qiao breathed a slight sigh of relief. "If he hasn’t offended you, why do you say he has a prejudice against you?"

Wei Shao remained silent.

Xiao Qiao couldn’t quite figure out what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she explained, "Why would my brother have any prejudice against you? He’s always been mischievous and a bit clueless at home. I was worried he might behave inappropriately here and embarrass himself, so I specifically told him to be mindful of his manners and not speak carelessly as he does at home. He must have been a bit reserved in front of you, which might have led to this misunderstanding."

Wei Shao glanced at her and smiled, seemingly letting the matter drop. He reached out and began twirling her long hair around his fingers, playing with it for a while. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Has that Gao Bohai left yet?"

Xiao Qiao rested her cheek against his chest and murmured with her eyes closed, "He left last month. He came to the residence to bid farewell, and Grandmother even met him."

Wei Shao snorted. "Did you agree to let him be your guide to see the cliff inscriptions in Hanzhong?"

Xiao Qiao was momentarily confused by his seemingly random question. After thinking for a moment, she recalled the incident. It seemed that during a casual conversation with Gao Heng at the Queen Mother’s Temple, he had mentioned something about it, and Wei Shao must have overheard. She couldn’t help but find it amusing that he still remembered it after so long. Opening her eyes, she said, "It was just a casual remark that day. Did you really take it seriously?"

Wei Shao slowly caressed her smooth, silk-like body, which was still unclothed, and leaned closer to her ear. "The cliff calligraphy at Yunmen in Hanzhong, created during the previous dynasty, is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, Hanzhong is still under Le Zhenggong’s control. If you really want to see it, I’ll carve the entire cliff and bring it home for you to admire once I’ve taken Hanzhong."

Xiao Qiao couldn’t help but laugh and pinched his arm hard. "I don’t want you to do something so crude and ruin the beauty of it! If I want to see it, I’ll go see it myself in the future!"

Wei Shao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you think I’m just a brute who only knows how to fight? I started studying at five, learned painting at seven, and studied under Meng Gong, who served as a Grand Academician for twenty years, alongside my cousin. ‘Meng of the North excels in painting, Zhang of the South in calligraphy.’ How could someone like Gao Heng even compare to Meng and Zhang? Surely you’ve heard of Meng of the North, haven’t you?"Xiao Qiao suppressed a laugh and said with a straight face, "I must apologize for my disrespect. It seems you’ve been hiding your talents. Had I known earlier, I would have asked you, Lord, to personally paint the murals in the Queen Mother’s Hall. Perhaps they would have been celebrated for generations, earning you a reputation as a master painter."

Wei Shao laughed, "Do you think I’m lying to you? I studied for two or three years but lost interest and stopped halfway. My cousin, however, studied longer and can paint exquisite figures, though few know of it now. I think I still have a few of my old practice pieces in my study. If you don’t believe me, I’ll fetch them for you to see."

Xiao Qiao kept pushing him, "Alright, go get them. Let me witness the brilliance of your artistic skills from back then."

She smiled brightly, urging him incessantly.

This was the first time Wei Shao had seen her display such natural liveliness in front of him. Her long hair was spread across the pillow, her eyes and brows filled with laughter, her expression so charming and delightful that it was almost impossible to capture in words. When she playfully pushed his shoulder with her delicate hand, he felt as if his bones had lightened by two ounces. Unable to resist her teasing, he immediately rolled off the bed, got to his feet, and began dressing while saying, "Wait here, I’ll bring them for you to see! I’m not boasting, but even Meng Gong once praised my talent. It’s just that I grew impatient and stopped learning. Though I no longer paint, I can still discern the quality of art and calligraphy!"

Xiao Qiao lay on the pillow, her fists propping up her chin, watching with a smile as he casually threw on a robe and hurried out of the room. Left alone on the bed, she thought of Wei Shao’s earlier boastful expression about his knowledge of art and found it even more amusing. She turned over, pulled the blanket over her face, and giggled to herself.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Qiao thought Wei Shao should have returned with the paintings, but there was still no sign of him. Gradually growing puzzled, she was about to go and see what he was up to when she suddenly heard footsteps at the door. At first, she thought it was Wei Shao, but upon listening more closely, it wasn’t. The door was pushed open, and a servant woman entered, bowing as she said, "The Lord requests your presence in the study."

Xiao Qiao quickly dressed, tidied her loose hair with her fingers in front of the mirror, and tied it loosely with a ribbon that hung down her back. She then made her way to the study. Pushing open the slightly ajar door, she saw Wei Shao standing with his back to her in front of the storage shelf on the west wall. She smiled and said, "Didn’t you say you’d bring them for me to see? Why am I the one who has to come here…"

Wei Shao slowly turned around, and Xiao Qiao was momentarily stunned. The smile on her face froze.

She saw that Wei Shao’s expression was cold, his gaze devoid of any warmth, completely different from the man he had been in the bedroom just moments ago. It was as if he had suddenly put on a different face.

Xiao Qiao hesitated slightly, her smile fading, but she still stepped over the threshold of the study and walked toward him, tentatively asking, "Did you call for me just now, husband?"

Wei Shao looked at her for a moment before saying coldly, "Did you touch this box of mine?"

Xiao Qiao glanced at the drawer.

He was referring to the box she had opened a few days ago when he had forgotten to take a set of bamboo slips with him to Zhuojun and sent someone back to retrieve it. She had been in the study at the time and couldn’t resist taking a look inside. She remembered putting it back exactly as she had found it, but somehow he had noticed it had been disturbed. She suddenly felt a deep regret for ignoring his earlier warning that day, which had now led to this awkward situation.Xiao Qiao lowered her eyes and spoke softly, "It really is my fault. That day when you sent someone back to fetch the bamboo slips, I happened to come over and saw them. Out of curiosity, I picked them up..."

She felt deeply ashamed of her actions, her face flushing slightly with heat.

"But rest assured, I did not open the box..." She took a breath and continued.

"Perhaps you couldn't open it?"

Wei Shao coldly interrupted her.

Xiao Qiao was startled and looked up at him. His gaze was icy, and there seemed to be a hint of disgust within it.

It had been some time since she had seen him look at her like that. Just moments ago, they had been affectionate with each other. His sudden return to his former demeanor caught her off guard. She stared at him, momentarily stunned, before her gaze shifted to the box. She noticed several obvious scratches on the nine-grid lock, as if someone had tried to force it open with a tool-like object but had failed.

Xiao Qiao was shocked and immediately said, "I admit I touched the box, but I put it back right away. I absolutely did not touch the nine-grid lock, nor did I attempt to break it!"

Wei Shao said coldly, "Who else in my study comes and goes as they please besides you? I remember telling you on your first day here not to touch this thing! Why did you still do it? It seems I have been too lenient with you!"

Xiao Qiao's face turned slightly pale. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have ignored your warning and touched the box. I know I was wrong. But I still say that I only picked it up briefly and put it back immediately. As for who scratched the lock like this, I have no idea."

Wei Shao stared at her, his brow furrowed, then suddenly walked past her, pushed open the door, and left the study without looking back.

As the sound of his footsteps gradually faded and finally disappeared, Xiao Qiao slowly turned her head. She saw the study doors wide open, the night outside dark and silent, the doorway empty, with only the dim shadow of candlelight cast on the ground.

Xiao Qiao's heart was beating a bit fast, and a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. Her legs felt weak, and it was difficult to stand. Finally, she leaned on the shelf and slowly sat down on a nearby couch, lost in thought.

After a while, there was the sound of footsteps, and someone quickly crossed the threshold.

Xiao Qiao looked up and saw Chun Niang had arrived.

She came straight to Xiao Qiao, knelt down, and held her arms, her face full of concern. "What happened? Everything was fine earlier, but when the Lord returned to the room, I saw he looked upset. He put on his clothes and left without saying a word. And now you're sitting here alone! What exactly happened?"

She took Xiao Qiao's hand and exclaimed, "Your hands are so cold! Come back to the room with me."

Xiao Qiao had gradually calmed down. She withdrew her hand, stood up, and said with a composed expression, "It's nothing serious. Just a misunderstanding."

Chun Niang was her confidante, so Xiao Qiao didn't hide the reason why she had angered Wei Shao.

Chun Niang was shocked and said anxiously, "If you say you didn't open the lock, then you didn't! The Lord didn't believe you and left in anger? What should we do now?"

"Has anyone else been in and out of our west room these past few days?""A few days ago, this servant was present and did not see any outsiders coming or going. Only today, this servant accompanied the lady to accompany Elder Madam to the Golden Dragon Temple." Chun Niang frowned, "The lady should return to her room first, there is no need to worry. This servant will go and interrogate them. The lady, please wait for my news."

Chun Niang wanted to help her up.

Xiao Qiao nodded, said she was fine, got up by herself, and went straight back to her bedroom.

......

Wei Shao left the west room and went out, then ordered someone to bring his horse, mounted it, and went straight to the yamen.

The night wind blew against his face, and the feverish temperature on his forehead gradually subsided. His mind kept replaying the scene in the study just moments ago, where Qiao Nu was explaining herself to him.

When she usually spoke to him, she always liked to lower her eyes, making it somewhat unclear what was hidden in her gaze. But just now, when she was defending herself, her eyes were locked with his from start to finish, without a hint of hesitation, evasion, or concealed unease.

Or rather, he couldn't detect any hesitation, evasion, or concealment in her eyes.

So there were only two possibilities. The first was that she was adept at lying, to the point where even he couldn't catch the slightest flaw in her gaze. The second was that she truly hadn't tampered with the Nine Palace Lock.

If it was the first, Qiao Nu was too profound, her schemes terrifying.

But if it was the second possibility...

Wei Shao's mood suddenly became chaotic, feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration.

As he approached the entrance of the yamen, he suddenly stopped his horse, turned it around, and headed back to the Wei residence. After entering, he walked inward, and when he reached the fork in the road, he stopped, glanced in the direction of the east room, then turned and strode over.