The Prisoner of Beauty

Wei Yan left Fuyang at dusk that day.

Born and raised here, he had spent twenty-eight years in this place. Now, as he departed, he was alone with only his horse.

He walked alone to the bronze double-lion gate of the Wei residence in the northern part of the city. Facing the gate, he knelt down, kowtowed, and then stood up to leave.

As night gradually fell, Wei Yan led his horse through the streets of Fuyang. The streets were lined with hurried pedestrians eager to return home. From a half-open door by the roadside, a woman's voice called out to her child to come in for dinner. The child, about four or five years old, had been squatting by the door playing with stones. Hearing his mother's call, he responded and stood up to run inside, but he accidentally bumped into Wei Yan and fell to the ground. The child, feeling the pain in his bottom, was about to cry when he noticed the strange expression on the man who had stopped to look at him. The child felt fear, immediately stopped crying, and just stared at him with frightened eyes.

Wei Yan's gaze lingered on the child for a moment. He then crouched down and reached out his hand to the child.

The child became even more frightened and scrambled to get up and run away. Seeing this, the man seemed slightly taken aback. Then, he reached into his saddlebag, pulled out a handful of coins, placed them on the ground, and awkwardly stretched his lips as if trying to smile at the child.

The mother, unable to call her child back, came out to look for him. Suddenly seeing him sitting on the ground with a stranger crouching in front of him, she immediately shouted, "Who are you?" Sensing something odd and sinister about the man, she felt uneasy and quickly called out for her husband to come out.

Wei Yan stood up, took the reins of his horse, and continued on his way.

The child, forgetting his fear, sat on the ground and turned his head, staring blankly at the man's receding figure.

As the night deepened, the lights of households gradually lit up one by one.

Wei Yan stopped across from the red-painted shop when the lights of thousands of homes had illuminated half the city.

The shop was about to close. The same shopkeeper as before was at the door, putting up the shutters one by one. Inside, the layout was vaguely visible, just like the day he had first met her.

Wei Yan stared for a moment. Suddenly, he mounted his horse and galloped off in the direction of the city gate.

He had asked to leave, telling them it was for the sake of peace of mind and happiness.

The Wei family had granted his request and let him go.

Only he knew that his heart had no place to return to, drifting aimlessly. What was peace of mind? What was happiness? Even he didn't know. He only knew that for the rest of his life, no matter where he went, he would never find true peace.

...

Two days later, Wei Yan arrived at the banks of the Sanggan River.

Crossing this river, which was tacitly considered the boundary, would take him into Xiongnu territory.

Wei Yan saw a person sitting on a horse in the meadow by the riverbank, as if they had been waiting there for some time.

He gradually slowed his horse and approached the person, finally stopping and gazing at them. A faint smile slowly appeared on his face: "Second Brother, I didn't expect you to come see me off for the last time."

Wei Shao's expression was impassive. He raised his arm and waved, and two soldiers behind him carried a large sack over and placed it on the meadow.

The sack was tied shut, and inside seemed to be a sizable living creature, writhing and struggling."Do you know why I set your residence on fire?" Wei Shao said coldly. "I did not wish for any discord between us brothers. Yet someone desired our enmity. Unfortunately, their scheme succeeded, and now I have nothing more to say. As for this Lan Ji, I initially intended to kill her, but considering she was your woman, I spared her and left her for you to deal with. I came here to see you off one last time, to honor our twenty years of brotherhood. From now on, let fate decide our paths."

The sack opened, revealing a struggling woman with disheveled hair and a wretched appearance—it was Lan Yun, the former favored concubine of Wei Yan.

Lan Yun's hands were bound, and her mouth was gagged, rendering her unable to speak. Suddenly exposed to daylight, she saw Wei Yan right in front of her, seated on his horse. Her face lit up with hope, but when she sought his help, she noticed his cold, indifferent gaze, which filled her with fear. She stared at him, dumbfounded.

Wei Yan slowly raised his eyes, finally settling them on Wei Shao's face. The two men sat on their horses, locking eyes in silence.

Wei Shao's expression was dark as he stared at Wei Yan for a moment. Suddenly, he tugged on the reins, shouted, and turned his horse away.

Not far off, his entourage immediately followed. The figures of the group gradually disappeared into the horizon of the grassland.

...

Three days had passed since Wei Shao left. On the day he escorted his younger brother out of the city, he had not returned since.

Xiao Qiao knew that Madam Xu had also gone out that day. She returned to the residence later and immediately took to her bed.

When Xiao Qiao went to see her, she found her spirit broken, seemingly too weak to even speak. Lying in bed, Madam Xu appeared to have aged countless years in an instant.

Xiao Qiao's heart was heavy.

She vaguely guessed that something must have gone wrong with Wei Yan.

But what exactly had happened, why Madam Xu had taken to her bed upon returning, and where Wei Shao had been these past few days—she had no clue.

The only thing she was certain of was that something serious had happened in the Wei family, and it was related to Wei Yan.

Since it involved Wei Yan, Xiao Qiao's immediate thought was that the matter of Wei Yan's supposed affection for her had come to light, something she had thought was already in the past.

Otherwise, she couldn't imagine what else it could be.

Her heart was filled with unease and heaviness, as if she herself were a sinner. That evening, Wei Shao still hadn't returned. She went to the north room to attend to Madam Xu.

The sun was setting. The room, which was always well-lit during the day, gradually became shrouded in a dim shadow. Zhong Ao came in to light the lamps. Madam Xu stirred on the bed, as if waking up. Xiao Qiao hurried forward and, together with Zhong Ao, helped her sit up.

Madam Xu leaned back, her gaze falling on Xiao Qiao's face, as if she were pondering something.

Xiao Qiao's heart raced, and she felt too nervous to meet her eyes. After a moment, Madam Xu said she was hungry and wanted something to eat. Xiao Qiao quickly stood up, but Madam Xu said, "Let Zhong Ao go."

Zhong Ao left, and the room was now empty except for Xiao Qiao. Madam Xu motioned for Xiao Qiao to sit by her bedside and asked about Wei Shao. Xiao Qiao told her he had been gone for three days. Madam Xu was lost in thought for a moment, then said, "He went to see off his elder brother."

"His cousin has gone to the land of the Xiongnu," Madam Xu added.

Xiao Qiao was utterly shocked.Madam Xu remained silent for a moment before speaking, "As Shao Er's wife, there are some things you should know. Yan Er's background is special; his father was a Xiongnu. Now that he wishes to leave, I cannot keep him any longer and must let him go."

Xiao Qiao stared blankly at Madam Xu.

Madam Xu gazed at Xiao Qiao, who was enveloped in the twilight.

"What a beautiful child! No wonder..."

She sighed deeply.

Xiao Qiao's heart raced, and she immediately knelt by the bed, bowing her head as she pleaded, "It is all my fault. I beg for your forgiveness, Grandmother!"

Madam Xu turned her head, looking at the figure kneeling by her bed for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

"Why would I blame you? You are not at fault. It is the consequence of the seeds I sowed thirty years ago. It is fate."

Xiao Qiao slowly raised her head to look at Madam Xu.

Her expression was weary, and her gaze no longer rested on Xiao Qiao but drifted past her, towards the setting sun outside the west window.

"When Shao Er returns, comfort him a little."

Madam Xu finally said, her tone gentle.

...

Madam Xu ate a little, sat for a while, and then lay down again.

Xiao Qiao stayed by her side until she fell asleep, then returned to the west room.

She hadn't seen Zhu Shi these past few days. Zhu Shi no longer required her presence, and Xiao Qiao didn't have the heart to concern herself with her. After returning from the north room, while lost in thought in her own room, she suddenly heard familiar footsteps in the courtyard outside. Her heart leapt, and she hurried out.

Wei Shao had returned!

He was covered in the dust of travel, likely having not attended to his appearance along the way. A faint stubble had sprouted on his cheeks, and he looked exhausted and worn out.

Xiao Qiao welcomed him into the room and asked if he wanted to eat or bathe first. He chose to bathe. Xiao Qiao had water prepared. Soon, everything was ready, and she followed him in, personally attending to him.

Wei Shao immersed himself in the bathtub, the water reaching his shoulders. His arms rested on the edges of the tub, his head tilted back, and his eyes closed.

Xiao Qiao knelt behind him, untied his hair, wet it with water, applied rose-scented hair paste, pressed her fingertips against his scalp, gently massaged with her palms to create lather, rinsed it clean with water, then took a dry towel to absorb the moisture, and finally helped him tie his hair back up, securing it with a jade hairpin.

He seemed to have fallen asleep, his eyes closed, his expression calm, and he remained motionless.

Xiao Qiao glanced at him. Seeing a bit of the rose lather she had accidentally smeared on his cheek earlier, she reached out to wipe it off.

As her fingertip touched his cheek, his eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes. With a splash, he stood up from the water.

Xiao Qiao silently helped him dress.

He put on casual clothes and told Xiao Qiao that he was going to the yamen to handle the backlog of official business from the past few days. He advised her to rest early and not wait for him. After saying this, he left.

Xiao Qiao waited for him. It was nearly Xu hour when she remembered the tired look on his face when he returned. Hesitating for a moment, she changed her clothes, ordered a carriage, and had it take her to the yamen. Upon arrival, the guards recognized her and hurried over to greet her. Xiao Qiao asked if the Lord was in, and the guards replied that he had entered in the evening and had not come out since.

Xiao Qiao carried a food box inside and made her way to his study in the back hall, which she had visited once before.

The study's doors and windows were tightly shut, with light seeping through.Xiao Qiao paused at the door, took a deep breath, and gently knocked. "My lord, may I come in?" she asked.

After speaking, she pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw Wei Shao seated behind the large desk, brush in hand, engrossed in writing. The desk was cluttered with scrolls and bamboo slips of varying heights. When he looked up, seemingly startled, she smiled and walked over, kneeling down opposite him. "I noticed you hadn't returned for a while and thought the workload might be heavy. I was worried you might be hungry. Since it's not far and the office should be quiet at this hour, I brought you some food," she explained.

She opened the food container, took out a bowl still warm with residual heat, removed the lid, and placed it in front of him. Then, she handed him a spoon.

Her slender, delicate fingers gently held the pristine white spoon, offering it to Wei Shao.

Wei Shao looked up at her again but did not take it immediately.

Xiao Qiao met his gaze and smiled softly. "I'll leave once you've eaten, so I won't disturb your work."

Wei Shao took the spoon and began eating. He finished quickly. Xiao Qiao handed him a handkerchief, which he used to wipe his mouth. She then placed the empty bowl back into the food container and stood up. "I'll take my leave now. Please return early and don't overexert yourself," she said.

She bowed slightly to Wei Shao, who remained seated, picked up the food container, and turned toward the door.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly heard a slight movement behind her. Turning around, she saw Wei Shao had risen from his desk and was quickly approaching. He reached out, pulling her into his arms from behind, holding her tightly. Then, he lifted her up and swiftly carried her back to the couch where he had been sitting, laying her down gently.