The Prisoner of Beauty

Early the next morning, the snow had ceased, and the sky cleared. The sun slowly revealed half of its face from behind the clouds.

Yuyang had been shrouded in heavy clouds for many days, and the sun had not shown itself for quite some time.

The townsfolk were delighted by this long-awaited fine winter weather and began their busy yet ordinary day as usual. Unbeknownst to them, the young Lord they deeply respected had returned to the city late last night, braving the snow.

They could not have imagined what awaited the Lord after he had spent a long, lonely, and cold night.

As the sun rose higher, nearing the hour of Si (around 9-11 AM), a plume of black smoke suddenly rose from the summit of Yushan, located to the northwest of the city.

At first, the smoke appeared as a single column, but it quickly transformed into a massive, billowing cloud that almost enveloped the entire mountaintop. Within the smoke, faint flickers of firelight could be seen.

The townspeople on the streets were the first to notice. They stopped in surprise, gazing into the distance.

Soon, more people became aware and came out of their homes to watch, chattering incessantly. Some climbed onto millstones, others scaled rooftops, and a few curious souls even called their friends to venture out of the city, undeterred by the distance, to see what was happening on Yushan.

Everyone knew that there was a grand temple of the Great Shaman on the summit of Yushan.

The Great Shaman was renowned. Besides divining fortunes for those who sought his guidance, he could also ward off disasters, cure illnesses, summon deities, and even communicate with the spirits of the dead, commanding the wind and rain.

Although no one had ever personally witnessed the Great Shaman summoning wind and rain, it was believed that it was due to a lack of sincerity in invoking the Thunder God and Lightning Mother, not because the Great Shaman was ineffective.

Moreover, the townspeople also whispered that the Great Shaman could secretly cast curses on people using incantations.

And, most mysteriously, Madam Zhu, the matron of the Wei household, was a devout believer in the Great Shaman. She was often seen entering and exiting the temple.

Thus, the common folk held a kind of reverent yet fearful awe for the Great Shaman of Yushan.

No one could have imagined that early in the morning, such intense flames would erupt from the summit of Yushan, where the temple stood.

By noon, the news had spread.

The Lord had returned to the city last night. Early this morning, he had led a group of people up Yushan and personally set fire to the magnificent temple, which had been built with three grand halls, reducing it to ashes.

...

Wei Shao stood on the open ground at the summit of Yushan, his eyes reflecting the roaring flames of the massive fire before him, his expression dark.

The seething anger that churned within him, so intense it felt as if his blood were boiling, could not be quelled even by setting ten such fires.

The mountain wind howled, and despite the cold weather, the magistrate of Yuyang, standing nearby, felt his face gradually dry and uncomfortable from the intense heat of the fire.

But he dared not take a single step back.

The Lord's fury was beyond description, and he could deeply sense it.

Finally, the roof of the grand temple collapsed.

With a thunderous crash, the flames were momentarily suppressed, only to surge upward again like a fiery dragon breaking free from its chains, carrying countless sparks with it.

Seeing that the Lord had finally turned and strode down the mountain, the magistrate rubbed his dry, painful face, scorched by the fire, and hurriedly followed.

...

Zhu Shi had been plagued by nightmares almost every day for some time now.

Even when she was awake, as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt as if she were being deeply entangled by the heavy resentment emanating from Jiang Nao, her heart pounding as if caught in a nightmare.On the night of the incident, she repeatedly demanded that Jiang Nao be brought before her so she could confront the vile woman who dared to slander her.

For many years, she had trusted Jiang Nao implicitly, relying on her for everything. In fact, she had even shown her kindness in the past.

She remembered it all clearly. Thirty years ago, when she was still the daughter of the local magistrate in Zhuojun, Jiang Nao, who was a few years older, in her twenties, was a widow with a three-year-old son. She worked as a servant in the Zhu household.

One day, a murder occurred in the Zhu family. Jiang Nao, in self-defense, accidentally stabbed a male servant who had attempted to assault her with a pair of scissors.

Zhu Shi's parents wanted to hand Jiang Nao over to the authorities. Jiang Nao pleaded with Zhu Shi, who, feeling pity for her, softened her heart. She intervened with her parents and took Jiang Nao under her wing.

From then on, Jiang Nao was deeply grateful to Zhu Shi and served her loyally. Later, when Zhu Shi married into the Wei family by chance, she brought Jiang Nao, who had always pleased her, along. Over the years, Jiang Nao remained devoted, going to great lengths for Zhu Shi, who in turn trusted her completely, almost to the point of heeding her every word.

She could never have imagined that Jiang Nao, this vile woman, would turn out to be so heartless and ultimately frame her in such a way!

Under her vehement demands for a confrontation, Jiang Nao was finally brought before her.

As soon as Zhu Shi saw that familiar face, she was overcome with rage. She slapped Jiang Nao fiercely, tore at her hair, and cursed her with the most venomous words she could muster. Finally, her hands numb with pain and her anger nearly causing her to faint, she sat there gasping for breath. Jiang Nao, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly revealed a smile that Zhu Shi couldn't comprehend.

Jiang Nao leaned in close to Zhu Shi's ear and said, "Madam, do you remember how my poor son died twenty years ago?"

Jiang Nao had once had a son, but Zhu Shi had long forgotten about him. Hearing Jiang Nao mention him now, she was momentarily stunned, then vaguely recalled a handsome boy who looked almost like a girl.

Zhu Shi stared fixedly at Jiang Nao before her.

Her bruised and swollen face bore a smile, but her eyes were filled with venom. She looked completely unfamiliar.

Zhu Shi felt as though she no longer recognized her.

"Madam, by then you had already become the wife of the Wei family, a woman of high status. One day, your brother, drunk, forcibly took my son away. He was only thirteen! When I finally saw him, his lower body was covered in blood—wet, flowing blood that wouldn't stop. My son lay on the bed, barely alive. He called me 'Mother,' told me he was in pain, and begged me to save him. But the bleeding wouldn't stop. The physician couldn't save him and left him to die. I watched helplessly as he writhed in agony on the bed for three days, until he finally died right before my eyes."

"What did you do, Madam? I suppose you've long forgotten, haven't you?"

Jiang Nao's voice continued to drift in Zhu Shi's ear.

"I told you. You were afraid that the scandal would tarnish your reputation, so you acted as if nothing had happened. You suppressed the matter. You sent your brother away, letting him continue his carefree life, and you gave me money, ordering me never to speak of it. I had no choice but to endure it in silence.""But my heart is filled with hatred. My son, he was only thirteen when he died! Madam, because you lost your son, you harbor deep resentment towards Qiao Nu. But my son, isn’t he also flesh of my flesh?"

"Madam, do you understand now why I have treated you this way? You can certainly use what I just told you to defend yourself. But what good will it do? Madam Xu nearly lost her life because of you. Even if you continue to live, in front of your son, you will be nothing but a mother without dignity! You brought this upon yourself, don’t blame me…"

Zhu Shi fainted at that moment. When she regained consciousness, she heard the news that Jiang Nao had already committed suicide by crashing into a wall in front of her. All that remained on the ground was a pool of dark purple blood.

The maids who guarded her whispered that Jiang Nao had been forced to take her own life by Madam.

Many days had passed since then, and the ground had been cleaned. Yet, the bloodstain seemed to have seeped into the earth, still appearing shockingly vivid.

In the past, Zhu Shi often used illness as an excuse to keep her son by her side.

Now, she had truly fallen ill. And she finally awaited her son’s return.

Last night, a heavy snow fell, and by morning, the sky had cleared. At noon, as she sat alone in her room, lost in thought, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps outside.

It was the footsteps of her son, Wei Shao. She could recognize them instantly.

He had finally returned home! And yet, while he was away, his mother had been framed and suffered such humiliation!

The strength that had drained from her body seemed to slowly return. Zhu Shi struggled to her feet, wanting to go out and greet him. But after only two steps, the door was slammed open with a violent force.

Zhu Shi saw the figure of her son, Wei Shao, standing at the doorway.

He did not enter, but stood just outside the threshold, gazing at her with cold and unfamiliar eyes.

Zhu Shi was momentarily stunned. After a brief moment of eye contact, her lips began to tremble, and she said in a shaky voice, "Shao Er… you’ve finally returned… You mustn’t believe what they’ve said! I was framed by Jiang Nao! She hated me! She was bribed, that’s why she framed me! All this time, I’ve been thinking, it must have been Qiao Nu… After Qiao Nu entered the household, I wanted you to take Chu Yu. She didn’t say anything, but she must have resented me in her heart…"

A muscle twitched at the corner of Wei Shao’s eye. He took a step back, and two people were pushed in, tumbling to the ground.

One was the Great Sorcerer of Yushan, the other was Zheng Shu. Both were disheveled and looked utterly wretched.

"Aunt, save me!" Zheng Shu crawled over, clutching Zhu Shi’s legs, weeping and pleading incessantly.

Zhu Shi was shocked. She looked up at Wei Shao and asked in a trembling voice, "Shao Er… what are you doing?"

Wei Shao said coldly, "Listen for yourself, how your dear niece has deceived you all along!"

The Great Sorcerer knelt on the ground, shivering, and kowtowed repeatedly. "Madam, you must not know this, but it was Zheng Shu who secretly gave me gold and silk, asking me to tell you that she was your destined benefactor! That’s why I said those things to you! To make it seem true, the illness you later suffered was also caused by her. She took medicine from me and first put it in your food. Once the effects took hold, she stopped, and you slowly recovered. But Madam, you were kept in the dark and believed it all…"Zheng Shu wept bitterly, "Aunt, please spare me! It was my momentary folly back then... In all these years since, I have been utterly devoted to you. Others may not know, but you should understand..."

Zhu Shi's eyes widened, her finger trembling as she pointed at Zheng Shu. Suddenly, she let out a loud cry, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

...

When Zhu Shi slowly regained consciousness, she found herself lying in bed.

Wei Shao stood with his back to her, facing the window, his figure as still as a statue.

Zhu Shi wanted to call out to him but didn't dare.

Wei Shao turned around and slowly walked over to her, looking down at her.

"Shao Er..." Zhu Shi's eyes welled up with tears, "I know I was foolish in the past... so much so that I was used by others and nearly made a grave mistake... But as for your grandmother, I truly didn't poison her... No matter how bold I am, I wouldn't dare harm her. You should know that..."

Wei Shao stared at Zhu Shi, a deep shadow passing through his eyes.

"Mother, perhaps you wouldn't dare harm Grandmother, but you did harm my wife. If it were anyone else, I would not have allowed them to live. But you are my mother, and I cannot do anything to you. However, I must tell you this: if you ever dare to harbor ill intentions toward her again, do not blame me for being an unfilial son."

With that, Wei Shao quickly left.