The Prisoner of Beauty

Wei Shao fell silent. He stood while she sat, his gaze descending upon Xiao Qiao, who, with her eyes slightly lowered, did not look back at him. Though only a table separated them, both seemed lost in their own thoughts. The room was left in utter silence. Wei Shao even felt as though he could hear the sound of his blood rushing through his chest, the beating of his heart echoing in his ears.

A night breeze found its way through a crack in the corner window, causing the candle flame to flicker. Wei Shao's shadow on the opposite wall swayed a few times, finally bringing a semblance of life to the room. His shoulders moved slightly with the shadow, and as he took a step toward her, Xiao Qiao rose from the couch. She looked up at him gently and said, "It's quite late. Let's rest."

She stepped down from the couch and, under Wei Shao's watchful gaze, walked past him to the door. She opened it and softly instructed the maidservant to come in and assist Wei Shao with his bath.

...

Wei Shao, even in winter during military campaigns, bathed with cold water, let alone in the summer.

The water drawn from the deep well in the backyard was already quite cool. Wei Shao closed his eyes and poured the entire bucket of water over his head. The water cascaded down from his scalp, over his face and shoulders, splashing loudly. Though the coolness of the water soothed his skin, the burning sensation beneath his skin, as if his blood were pricking him, did not subside in the slightest. Moreover, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if it were blocked by a piece of cloth.

He felt terrible, truly terrible.

He opened his eyes. His entire body was dripping wet, water continuously falling from his hair and skin.

Wei Shao briefly considered calling her in to help him dry off. Recently, every night when he bathed, she would come in to assist him, drying his hair and body, and sometimes even being intimate with him in the bathhouse.

His lips parted, but in the end, he did not call out. Instead, he grabbed a towel hanging quietly on a nearby rack, hastily dried himself, and put on some clothes before stepping out. He noticed she wasn't waiting for him on the bed as usual but stood to the side, likely waiting for him to go first, just as she had done when she first arrived here.

Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, then walked over to her and said, "Let's sleep. It's late."

Xiao Qiao smiled softly and nodded. She went over to bolt the door and let down the two bed curtains hanging in front of the bed.

The light in front of the bed dimmed.

Wei Shao lay on his back. She blew out the lamp.

A faint rustling sound followed. Wei Shao turned his head and watched as she, in the dim light, removed her clothes one by one, leaving only her undergarments, before climbing into bed.

She lay down and seemed to fall asleep almost instantly, not turning over once, her breathing even.

...

Wei Shao had experienced many things that day. He had ridden back to Yuyang from Zhuojun in the morning, encountered Wei Yan and Qiao Ci outside the city in the evening, hosted a banquet to welcome Qiao Ci, returned home to be intimate with her, then lost his temper, went to the east room, and finally, after a long roundabout, ended up back in bed with her.

Wei Shao felt restless, but not because of physical fatigue. He was young and vigorous, like a male leopard in the depths of spring. He could march for three days and nights without sleep and still appear spirited before his troops the next day.

What made him restless was the sense of uncertainty she brought him.She was just a woman; he could lift her with one arm, and her neck wouldn't withstand his fury if she truly provoked him. When he entered the study and suddenly noticed the box had been tampered with, leaving glaring scratches, his first thought was of her, and he couldn't help but feel anger rise within him. He had clearly ordered her not to touch that box, and deep down, he truly didn't want her to. He had set a rule, yet she had disregarded it. He felt the sting of being ignored.

If this were the military and she were his subordinate, she would have been beheaded on the spot. But what Wei Shao couldn't understand was that she was clearly in the wrong. She had indeed ignored his command and touched something he didn't want her to. Yet, after all this, why did he now feel as though he was the one who had done wrong?

Especially, he shouldn't have lost his temper with her like that.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see her expression when he had called her over to question her. The radiant smile on her face had instantly faded, replaced by a pale complexion. In her eyes, he had seen panic, shame, and a pleading remorse. He hadn't missed it.

Wei Shao was tormented by his conflicting emotions, and a sense of frustration slowly began to take root in his heart.

In his rage, he had stormed out, but after calming down, he went to the east wing. From his mother's reaction, it wasn't hard to deduce that her defense was true: she had indeed touched the box, but she hadn't attempted to pry it open in a way that would have thoroughly enraged him.

Honestly, he had felt a bit relieved at the time. On his way back to the west wing, he imagined she must have been terrified after he had stormed out. He had already decided that when he went in, he wouldn't immediately reconcile with her. After all, she had made a mistake by disregarding his words. He would let her reflect on her actions and promise never to do it again before telling her that he had already cleared her name.

She would be overwhelmed with gratitude for his magnanimity and his initiative to clear her of suspicion. More importantly, with this necessary lesson, she would likely become utterly devoted to him and never dare to defy him again. Thinking back, although he had felt a pang of guilt seeing her frightened expression, he didn't want to give her the wrong impression that he would tolerate any of her actions indefinitely.

It was similar to how he dealt with a subordinate in the military who had violated orders but was still worth keeping. First, assert authority, then show mercy—a combination that had always been effective.

But when he entered, he saw her sitting calmly on the couch, her expression serene. In front of him, she effortlessly opened the lock, clearing herself of any suspicion of tampering without his help.

……In this era, apart from the small upper class, the education available to the remaining population was extremely limited. Advanced mathematics was even more distant from the vast majority. Wei Shao had been fascinated by arithmetic since childhood. His father, Wei Jing, upon learning of this interest, specially crafted a set of 272 jade counting rods for him, which the seven-year-old Wei Shao carried in a bag wherever he went, ready to play with them at any time. The nine-palace lock on this wooden box was also something he had designed at the age of ten, inspired by the "Cosmic Cube" from the He Tu and Luo Shu texts that had greatly intrigued him, and had a locksmith meticulously craft it from brass.

He had never imagined that someone could unlock it. At least in this household, there would be no second person besides him.

He never expected that she could unlock it so effortlessly right in front of him.

Women from aristocratic families, before marriage, would receive some cultural education at home, including basic arithmetic, to manage household affairs after marrying into their husband's family. However, it was unlikely they would study the He Tu and Luo Shu to such an extent—at least, he had never heard of it.

Wei Shao was, to say the least, astonished, followed by a faint sense of disappointment. He felt as though he had stepped through a door only to be firmly shut out by her.

……

Wei Shao couldn't sleep. He had clearly sensed it earlier—despite her repeated apologies and her continued gentle smiles and soft words, she seemed to have reverted to the Xiao Qiao who had first arrived in his home.

He wasn't a fool; he could feel it. His chest felt somewhat heavy and swollen.

He didn't like the way she acted around him.

He closed his eyes, listening to her breathing beside him. Finally, unable to resist, he reached out and tentatively placed his hand on her waist.

She seemed to have fallen asleep, motionless and unresponsive.

Wei Shao extended his arm a bit further, slowly encircling her waist completely within his embrace, then leaned his body toward her.

Xiao Qiao suddenly turned over, facing away from him as if it were just an unconscious movement in her sleep.

Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, then pressed closer to her back, eventually pulling her fully into his chest. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered, "I believe you. The lock wasn't tampered with by you."

He paused, but there was no response from her. He tightened his arm, his hand beginning to move slowly along her waist, eventually slipping into her robe, caressing her gently with tender force. His lips trailed from the nape of her neck down to her shoulder, his chin brushing against her as he nudged her robe off her shoulder.

His breathing grew increasingly heated, his breath washing over her exposed skin in waves. As he tried to turn her to face him, Xiao Qiao suddenly raised her hand, grasping his palm, which had grown increasingly warm, and removed it from her robe.

"My lord, I am truly exhausted tonight. May I sleep?"

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes in the dimly lit bed and spoke, her head still turned away.

Her tone remained gentle, but her voice sounded low and weary.

Wei Shao's hand, which she had removed, paused slightly. After a moment, he released her and turned over, facing outward.

……Early the next morning, before dawn, Wei Shao had already risen and left.

Xiao Qiao truly didn't know when he had gotten up and left. She woke up as usual and, seeing no one beside her, realized he was gone. Not long after she got up, while she was still doing her makeup, she suddenly heard faint cries and wails from the courtyard outside, as if something had happened.

Xiao Qiao didn't go out to investigate. After a while, Lin Ao rushed in to inform her that Madam Xu had indeed identified the person who had dared to sneak into Lord Wei Shao's study the previous day and attempted to break the lock. It was none other than the old woman surnamed Sun, whom Xiao Qiao had once caught a glimpse of. Just now, Jiang Nao, who served Madam Xu, had come with some people to tie up the old woman surnamed Sun. The old woman had wailed and screamed, and Jiang Nao had immediately ordered someone to stuff mud into her mouth. In the end, she was dragged away by her feet.

As Lin Ao described the scene, her eyes widened, and she gestured animatedly, clearly outraged: "The lady is kind and generous, yet this woman not only failed to repay her kindness but also dared to deceive and offend her master by committing such an act! Heaven will not tolerate this!"

Footsteps were heard at the door, and Xiao Qiao looked up to see Jiang Nao approaching. Her attitude was unusually respectful. Standing outside the door, she bowed to Xiao Qiao and said, "Reporting to the lady, Madam Xu was extremely furious upon learning of the incident here. She interrogated the matter overnight and identified the wicked old woman surnamed Sun early this morning. The old woman confessed without hesitation. Just now, I have already tied her up and will take her away to be severely punished. Madam Xu was so angry last night that she couldn't sleep well. Early this morning, she went to the north house to apologize to Elder Madam and has just returned to lie down. Madam Xu said that you need not visit her these days."

After delivering her message, Jiang Nao left. Xiao Qiao finished her preparations and, as usual, went to the north house.

Zhu Shi had come here early in the morning and had just left not long ago. When Madam Xu saw Xiao Qiao arrive, she looked somewhat weary and beckoned her to sit beside her. After examining Xiao Qiao's complexion, she said, "Your mother-in-law came here earlier and mentioned that a box in Erlang's study had its lock broken by a servant. Erlang was furious last night and demanded that she investigate the matter. She handled it early this morning and has already identified the culprit?"

Xiao Qiao replied, "My mother-in-law acted swiftly and quickly apprehended the person who broke the lock. I am very grateful. Fortunately, nothing serious happened this time, and it was just a false alarm. When I came over this morning, besides visiting you, grandmother, I also wanted to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

"There are many servants in the west house. I remember when I first married into the family, there were only about ten. Later, thanks to your kindness, grandmother, more were sent over, and my mother-in-law also sent some. There are many servants, but only my husband and I are being served. My husband is often away during the day, and I don't need so many people. I noticed that in your household, grandmother, including those who sweep the courtyard, there are only about ten people. My husband and I are young and of a lower generation, so we shouldn't be so extravagant. With this incident happening, I was wondering if we could reduce some unnecessary staff. On one hand, it would prevent idleness, and on the other, it would avoid the servants having nothing to do and causing trouble again."

Madam Xu nodded, "That makes sense. In a household like ours, we don't need to worry about one or two idle servants, but if idleness leads to incidents like yesterday's, it is a failure of the mistress to oversee properly and is highly inappropriate. It's rare that you don't care about appearances. You can decide matters in your own household; there's no need to consult me."

Xiao Qiao smiled and thanked Madam Xu. She stayed for a while longer before leaving.