The Prisoner of Beauty

Wei Yan arrived at Dai Commandery and, in the dead of night, ventured out of the city alone. He stood in the desolate outskirts, gazing at the bright moon rising into the deep blue night sky above the distant mountain mist, his figure motionless.

Before long, the sound of hooves approached from behind him. Two swift horses gradually came into view. As they drew near, one of the riders dismounted and hurried toward Wei Yan. Upon reaching him, the man knelt and bowed deeply. It was Huyan Lie, the Xiongnu commander of a thousand cavalry whom Wei Yan had previously spared.

Wei Yan angrily said, "You have quite the audacity to bring your troops and patrol the border! If it ever comes to a clash of arms, do you think I would show you any mercy?"

Huyan Lie kowtowed and replied, "Young master, please calm your anger. I have no intention of stirring trouble. It’s just that I’ve sent several letters to you, but there has been no response. Left with no other choice, I thought of this way to meet you. Young master, you may not know this, but during last month’s Tuhe Festival, the king was assassinated. He was struck in the chest by a poisoned arrow. Fortunately, he was wearing armor underneath and narrowly escaped death, but he was seriously injured and has yet to fully recover. The Left Sage King is pressing closer, seeking to kill the king. Among the four great clans of the Xiongnu, only the Huyan clan remains loyal to the king. The Lan clan is wavering, while the Xu Bu and He clans have pledged allegiance to the Left Sage King. The king urgently needs your help, young master!" After finishing, he kowtowed again.

Wei Yan fell silent for a moment, then coldly said, "He has his own heirs to assist him. Why must he force me to go?"

Huyan Lie turned to look behind him. Following his gaze, Wei Yan saw the man on the other horse dismount and walk toward him. As the man drew closer, his features became clearer under the moonlight. He wore black clothes and deerskin boots, his figure slightly lean. Though middle-aged, his facial features were still sharp and handsome, suggesting he must have been even more striking in his youth.

This man was naturally a Xiongnu, but if he were to don Han robes, his demeanor would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

Huyan Lie stood up and took a step back, then knelt and bowed to the middle-aged man, addressing him as "My King."

Wei Yan was startled. He hadn’t expected that the middle-aged man accompanying Huyan Lie was none other than the Rizhu King, Wu Zhuqu. As Wu Zhuqu stopped in front of him and their eyes met, Wei Yan’s expression gradually stiffened.

Under the moonlight, Wu Zhuqu’s face appeared slightly pale. He stared at Wei Yan without blinking, his expression growing emotional. Suddenly, he took a step forward, calling out to Wei Yan, "My son," and reached out as if to grasp his hand.

Wei Yan took a step back and said indifferently, "I have no Xiongnu father. My father passed away before I was born twenty-eight years ago."Wu Zhuqu slowly lowered his hand that had been suspended in mid-air. After a moment of silence, he said, "I know it's hard for you to accept me right now. I didn't cross the border at great risk to force you to acknowledge me. It's true that I abducted your mother to the Xiongnu back then. We lived together for three years, and in the third year, she finally became pregnant with you. When she was five months pregnant, the Da Yuezhi rebelled, and I had to go to quell the rebellion, leaving her in the Eastern Royal Court. When I returned four months later, I learned that Wei Jing had attacked the Eastern Royal Court and taken her back. I planned twice to take her back, but Wei Jing thwarted my efforts. I even sent letters seeking reconciliation, but he ignored them and instead killed my envoy. Considering she was nearing her due date, I had no choice but to temporarily hold back, thinking to wait until after she gave birth to find an opportunity to bring her and the child back together. But then I received the news that she had died in childbirth..."

Wu Zhuqu paused, his eyes glistening with tears.

"When I first met her, she was only eighteen. Your mother was extremely beautiful, and I was captivated by her at first sight. She was my first wife. Five years after her death, I followed my father's order and married a woman from the Huyan family, with whom I had two more sons. You can hate me, but I know your mother must have had feelings for me. Otherwise, after Wei Jing took her back, she could have chosen not to give birth to you. But she did, and in doing so, she lost her own life!"

"For these twenty-eight years, I have never forgotten you for a moment! I have long wanted to bring you back. But with the Han and Xiongnu at odds, I too was constrained, my heart willing but my strength insufficient. Now that I am older, I yearn even more for your return, not only to aid me but also to have the son born of the woman I loved by my side. My son, when your mother was first pregnant with you, I named you. Your name is Hu Tukun! It means the soaring eagle in the sky. You are not Han! Your father is me, and you are the soaring eagle in our Xiongnu sky..."

As Wu Zhuqu spoke, his emotions surged, and suddenly he showed signs of pain, clutching his chest and coughing violently, a trace of blood slowly appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Huyan Lie, standing beside him, quickly supported him and turned to Wei Yan, saying, "Young master! The king is still injured and has risked crossing the border just to see you. How can you be so heartless?"

Wei Yan's expression was tense, his entire body like a stone statue, staring at Wu Zhuqu. Suddenly, he turned his horse and galloped away, his figure quickly shrinking to a black dot under the moonlight and disappearing from sight.

Wu Zhuqu's coughing gradually subsided, and he took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his mouth.

"King! The young master is so stubborn. Why don't you spread the news of his true identity in Yuyang? Instead of going through all this trouble and risking crossing the border yourself? Once everyone knows the young master is not Han, the Wei family naturally won't be able to keep him, and then he will have no choice but to turn to you!"

Huyan Lie's expression was anxious yet helpless.

Wu Zhuqu looked in the direction Wei Yan had gone and slowly shook his head, "What I want is a son. Not an enemy who hates me."

Huyan Lie fell silent.

Wu Zhuqu was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "That girl from the Lan family who was sent to serve my son three years ago, is there any news of her now?"

...Every year at this time, as long as there were no ongoing battles, the Luli Assembly would be held as scheduled at the Luli Terrace outside Yuyang City.

It wasn't just about making a name in one battle and then rising swiftly. After all, only a few had the confidence to step onto the stage. For most mid to lower-ranking officers and soldiers, the Luli Assembly was more like a grand military entertainment event that everyone looked forward to. Unfortunately, two years ago, Wei Shao's army was fighting in Ji Province, and last year, he was in a territorial dispute with Chen Xiang. Having missed it for two consecutive years, this year finally presented a good opportunity. Last month, Xing Xun from Luoyang and Yuan Zhe from Qing Province were engaged in a fierce battle, and now they were in a mess. Wei Shao was recuperating from illness and couldn't go out, so naturally, he focused his energy on the Luli Assembly, a major entertainment event for the entire army.

There were only three days left until the assembly. Starting today, not only from Yuyang, but also from Fanyang, Zhuojun, Gaoyang, Xindu, and other military camps, selected strong men had arrived one after another, making the streets even more lively. The townspeople were mostly talking about the upcoming assembly.

What interested them, besides watching the military competitions, were the women from the Lord's household.

At every assembly, Madam Xu would personally attend to drum up support for the competing warriors.

This year, the Lord had newly married a wife. The whole city knew that the lady was as beautiful as a fairy. Since she was rarely seen on ordinary days, it was expected that she would make an appearance that day.

With such a good opportunity to satisfy their eyes up close, how could they miss it?

……

Wei Shao had been very busy recently.

Ever since he discovered the pleasure of sleeping with her, his mind had been filled with nothing else.

The ecstatic satisfaction that came from holding her and sleeping together even began to rival the sense of achievement from conquering a city.

To be honest, recently he really hadn't had the time to think about how he used to dislike her and hate the Qiao family.

Even if he accidentally remembered, he could quickly drive those thoughts out of his mind.

Lately, he had been busy thinking about how to carve out more time to lie in bed and sleep with her in various positions.

But You Province was already vast, and with the addition of Ji Province, which he had conquered later, and Bing Province, which he had acquired a few months ago, there were so many cities. Even if nothing major happened in these places, there were always one or two matters that required his decision every day, and when they all arrived in Yuyang, they piled up into a huge stack.

Originally, when he was out fighting, the official documents from the You Province government office were handled by Wei Yan.

If Wei Yan was not available, there were Gongsun Yang and Chief Secretary Wei Quan.

Unfortunately, Wei Quan had been sent to Jinyang. Gongsun Yang had recently been suffering from his old cough again. Hearing him sitting there, coughing as if he was about to spit out his lungs, even Wei Shao, with his thick skin, couldn't bear to force him to report to the government office morning and night. It wasn't appropriate to hand it over to others. He had to handle it himself.

The days felt long, and the nights felt short—this was Wei Shao's recent profound realization.

So that evening, when he finally freed himself from the pile of documents and walked out of the government office, he strode briskly.

Before leaving in the morning, he had promised Xiao Qiao that he would return early to have dinner with her. Just now, he had been slightly delayed by a matter and got up later than expected.

Wei Shao quickly descended the large stone steps at the entrance of the government office and was about to mount his horse when he saw a strikingly beautiful young woman walking towards him from the opposite direction.He had seen this woman before—a favored concubine of his cousin Wei Yan. She had been with him for about two or three years, though he didn’t know her name. Seeing her stop in front of him, he assumed she had come to ask about Wei Yan and said directly, “My elder brother should be returning in the next couple of days.” After speaking, he mounted his horse.

Lan Yun bowed to Wei Shao and said, “Thank you, Lord, for informing me. My name is Lan Yun. I did not come to ask about Wei Jun’s return date. His return has nothing to do with me anymore. Before he left for Daijun, he dismissed me. He no longer wants me.”

Wei Shao glanced at her.

Wei Yan’s women often changed, and Wei Shao was aware of this. This woman, who called herself Lan Yun, had stayed the longest, which was why he remembered her.

Hearing her words, Wei Shao nodded slightly and said, “If you have any matters, wait until he returns and speak to him then.” With that, he prepared to ride off.

Lan Yun said, “Lord, you may not know this, but I came to find you to tell you something. Your elder brother, Wei Shijun, has been disrespectful toward your Madam.”

Wei Shao was momentarily stunned. Sitting on his horse, he looked down at her, his brow furrowing immediately, and his voice turned cold.

“Do you know the punishment for speaking nonsense?”

Lan Yun replied, “Every word I speak is true. Wei Jun has disregarded moral principles and harbored improper thoughts toward a woman he should address as ‘sister-in-law’!”

Wei Shao’s eyes took on an icy, strange glint as he stared at Lan Yun for a moment, then said word by word, “It seems you are seeking death, daring to sow discord like this!”

Lan Yun suddenly knelt down. “If you do not believe me, Lord, come with me. Once you see something, you will know whether my words are true or false!”

Wei Shao’s expression darkened. Without acknowledging Lan Yun, he rode past her and galloped away.

He had already ridden several zhang away when he suddenly stopped his horse and slowly turned his head back.

Lan Yun quickly got up from the ground and ran after him.

“If there is even the slightest falsehood in your words, I will make sure you live in agony, unable to seek life or death!”

Wei Shao’s icy voice rang in Lan Yun’s ears.

...

Wei Yan had gone to Daijun and dismissed all his concubines. Now only Zhu Quan and a few servants remained.

With the master gone, the servants had been leaving one by one for personal reasons, leaving only Zhu Quan behind. Earlier, someone had invited Zhu Quan for a drink. Unable to refuse, Zhu Quan locked the main gate and left.

As the sky grew slightly darker, Lan Yun used a key to unlock the gate. Wei Shao said nothing and strode inside, heading straight to the door of Wei Yan’s bedroom.

Before Wei Yan left, the bedroom door had been locked from the inside, secured with a heavy iron lock.

Wei Shao watched coldly as Lan Yun pulled out another key, smoothly unlocked the door, and gently pushed it open.

Wei Shao strode inside and finally stopped in front of a wall.

On the wall hung a long landscape painting. The brushstrokes were bold, and the atmosphere was ethereal.

Lan Yun lit a candle, held it in her hand, and walked over to provide light.

Wei Shao stared at the painting for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and reached toward it.

His expression was unusually grave, and his hand seemed to weigh a thousand jun as it paused in the air for a moment before suddenly pulling the landscape painting aside.

The muscles on his face immediately stiffened. His gaze fixed on the wall, and his figure seemed to freeze. Beside him, Lan Yun’s soft voice gently sounded:"Lord Wei has been quite different from his usual self lately. He has summoned me to accompany him less frequently. Often, he returns home and retreats to his room without coming out, sometimes drinking alone. He was not like this before. I began to suspect that he had taken a liking to another woman, so I paid close attention to his actions..."

As she spoke, a trace of resentment appeared in her expression.

"That night, Lord Wei returned home and first drank alone in the courtyard, not asking for our company. Later, he suddenly went back to his room and closed the door, but he forgot to shut the window tightly. Feeling suspicious, I quietly crept to the window and saw him painting this portrait of a beauty on the wall..."

"Once before, I happened to catch a glimpse of the lady from afar on the street. She was truly peerless in her elegance, and I could not forget her after just one glance. Lord Wei's painting skills are so lifelike that I recognized her immediately. I was utterly shocked and afraid of being discovered by him. Just as I was about to leave, I saw Lord Wei..."

Lan Yun paused, "I saw Lord Wei lift the hem of his robe and... pleasure himself against the wall... At that moment, he seemed utterly entranced..."

Wei Shao suddenly turned around and swept the candlestick from Lan Yun's hand with a swift motion.

The candlestick fell to the ground, making a faint, strange sound as it rolled to the corner of the room.

Outside the window, the twilight was heavy, but faces could still be discerned.

Lan Yun saw Wei Shao's icy eyes, yet they seemed to flicker with anger. His face was twisted, and his expression was terrifying.

Although this was what she had hoped for, facing such a scene, Lan Yun still felt her heart race with fear. Her legs weakened, and she involuntarily knelt down, not daring to look up at him.

Wei Shao stood frozen in place, and in the deathly silence of the room, only his heavy breathing could be heard.