The Prisoner of Beauty

Gongsun Yang had been feeling uneasy lately. Despite being considered quite astute and having assisted for many years, he still found it difficult to fully grasp the Lord's intentions.

Originally, according to the plan, they were supposed to head to Jinyang around the beginning of spring, which was about this time.

Unexpectedly, the Lord decided to leave early, right after the Lantern Festival.

Gongsun Yang naturally had no objections.

At the Lord's command, the subordinates immediately sprang into action, selecting generals and organizing troops. The soldiers and officers who were to accompany the Lord westward bid tearful farewells to their wives, children, and warm beds, all ready to depart.

Everything was set, but unexpectedly, after the Lord returned from a trip to Wuzhong City, he suddenly stopped mentioning Jinyang.

Instead, he was seen arriving at the government office at dawn every day and not leaving until after dark.

In reality, at the beginning of the year, there wasn't that much to do.

For the sake of good fortune for the year, it had been a long-standing tradition not to engage in military activities at the start of the year.

So after the New Year's Day, there really weren't many urgent matters at the government office that required the Lord to personally toil behind the desk.

Gongsun Yang was puzzled.

Since the subordinates were waiting for the Lord's instructions, he had previously asked him about it.

The Lord had said at the time that he sympathized with the hardships of the soldiers and officers, and since it was the beginning of the year, he had decided to let everyone have a bit more leisure time.

The subordinates cheered and expressed their gratitude for the Lord's consideration.

Gongsun Yang, relying on his intuition, was a bit skeptical. But he noticed one thing: the Lord was not yet ready to leave.

So he didn't press the matter.

But now, he really had to.

Because something had come up.

Three days ago, a urgent report came from Zhang Jian and Li Chong, stating that the Qiang people from Shaodang in Longxi had rebelled and attacked the Shangjun area. Fortunately, it had been suppressed. They requested the Lord to hurry over to determine the next steps.

Last night, another urgent report arrived from Bingzhou, and it was now in Gongsun Yang's hands.

Although he was waiting for the Lord to come and open it, he guessed it was probably a follow-up on the unrest in Shangjun.

So early in the morning, he had been waiting for the Lord to arrive.

But today, the Lord was unusually late.

Gongsun Yang's neck was getting stiff from waiting, and he was about to send someone to the Wei residence to deliver a message when the Lord finally arrived. He quickly handed over the urgent report and casually urged him.

Wei Shao opened the report, glanced through it, and handed it to Gongsun Yang.

Zhang Jian reported that he suspected Feng Zhao, the Governor of Liangzhou, of secretly inciting the Shaodang Qiang to cause trouble, with the intention of plotting rebellion. He requested the Lord to come quickly.

The Shaodang Qiang were the most powerful Qiang regime in the west. Like the Xiongnu, they initially lived by herding and gradually integrated with the Han, transitioning to agriculture. In the eyes of the Han people, the Qiang were "extremely terrifying, not like living beings." Over a decade ago, this Qiang population, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, had submitted to the Han court but later suffered under the cruel rule of Chen Xiang. Chen Xiang treated the Qiang like cattle and horses, brutally oppressing them. Not only did he demand tribute from the Qiang, but he also enslaved the men and turned the women into camp prostitutes. The new Qiang leader, Diao Mo, was unwilling to submit and rebelled against the Han, once even capturing Xihe Commandery.

Last year, Chen Xiang lost Bingzhou. Wei Shao immediately tried to appease Diao Mo. But Diao Mo did not respond, only retreating to Qiang territory.

Wei Shao, in a hurry to return to Youzhou, saw that the border was peaceful and temporarily set the matter aside to return.

Unexpectedly, so soon after the start of the year, the Shaodang Qiang had attacked Shangjun again. And it even involved Feng Zhao, the Governor of Liangzhou.

"What is your decision, my Lord?" Gongsun Yang asked.

Pacifying Liangzhou and subduing the Qiang to eliminate future threats when heading south was the military objective Wei Shao had for going to Jinyang at the start of the year. Gongsun Yang was well aware of this.Wei Shao frowned and said, "I'll set off tomorrow morning! The army will march in three days, proceeding to Jinyang at the usual pace."

……

Wei Shao returned from the government office, and it was not yet noon.

He rarely came home at this hour, so the maids and servants left in the west wing were surprised. They served him a meal.

However, Xiao Qiao still hadn't returned.

Wei Shao felt restless and didn't eat. He rode out of the city, heading towards the direction of the Taishe Shrine.

The Taishe Shrine ceremony at the beginning of February was of great significance to the farmers who relied on agriculture for their livelihood. Early in the morning, villagers from various hamlets brought leeks, eggs, and newly brewed wine from their homes last year, gathering from all directions to the Taishe Shrine in the eastern suburbs to participate in the ceremony.

At the auspicious time, the sound of drums began. The magistrate of Yuyang led the villagers participating in the ceremony to kneel and kowtow three times to the earth god, offering wine, food, and grains, and reciting prayers. Finally, the incense was handed to Xiao Qiao, who had washed her hands, and she personally inserted it into the agricultural altar, offering another prayer, thus completing the ceremony.

The Wei family, as the local lords, had always been beloved by the people. In previous years, Madam Zhu, who led the ceremony, was arrogant and would leave in a hurry after the ceremony. This year, the lady of the house had changed. The people saw that the new mistress of the Wei family was young and beautiful, with a friendly smile, and they were all captivated. After the ceremony, they approached her, surrounding her, and asked her to taste the new wine, judge the best, and enjoy the festivities with them.

This was also a traditional entertainment activity of the Taishe ceremony. Each clan from various hamlets presented their new wine, and after tasting, one was chosen as the offering wine to be placed on the agricultural altar. If selected, the clan would consider it a great honor.

The people's enthusiasm was hard to refuse, so Xiao Qiao, along with the magistrate of Yuyang, went to the wine-tasting platform.

On a row of shelves, wine jars were neatly arranged. Each jar had a red label on its belly, clearly marked with the clan's emblem.

Noble women, like men, enjoyed drinking wine.

Madam Xu had a great capacity for wine. Even at her age, she would rinse her mouth with warm wine after each meal.

However, Xiao Qiao had a low tolerance for alcohol and rarely drank. Seeing such a long row of wine jars waiting for her to taste one by one, she felt apprehensive.

But since she was already there, surrounded by expectant gazes, she had no choice but to brace herself and, along with the magistrate of Yuyang, start tasting the wine from the first opened jar.

Fortunately, only a small cup was taken from each jar, and she only needed to take a small sip to discern the flavor.

As each jar contained new wine carefully brewed and selected by each clan, related to the honor of their hamlets, she dared not be careless.

With each sip, she tried to savor the flavor—whether it was strong or light, astringent or smooth. Slowly, she tasted all the dozens of jars from beginning to end.

Finally, she discussed with the magistrate of Yuyang and chose one as the best.

The villagers from that hamlet cheered and scooped the wine for others to taste, then placed the new wine on the agricultural altar. This was followed by community performances and dances.

In the mulberry grove, the sound of drums and music filled the air, and people were joyous and festive. Young men and women chased and played around the mulberry trees, leaving behind bursts of happy laughter.

Although she had only taken a small sip from each of the many jars, the cumulative amount was not insignificant. The mixed wines seeped into her stomach, gradually warming her up. When the magistrate of Yuyang invited her to watch the community performances, Xiao Qiao's heart was already pounding, and her cheeks were slightly red. Fortunately, she was supported by Chun Niang and Lin Ao, so she didn't appear drunk.Xiao Qiao also knew that she was probably about to succumb to the effects of the wine. Fearing that she might make a fool of herself if she got drunk here, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Lord, and all the villagers for your kindness. Today is an auspicious day, marking the beginning of farming, and it will surely bring blessings to the people. Since the Lord is sharing joy with the people, I shall take my leave now."

The magistrate of Yuyang noticed the slight blush on her cheeks and realized that she was likely unable to handle more wine. He dared not keep her any longer and quickly bowed to see her off respectfully.

Xiao Qiao left the temple and walked through the mulberry grove. Along the way, countless villagers lined the path to bid her farewell with warm greetings. Among them were the young scholars from the county school who had once sneaked into the Temple of the Queen Mother of the West to catch a glimpse of her beauty.

These young men had come today merely for the festivities. If they could exchange orchids with a young maiden, it would be the icing on the cake. Many of them had been to the mulberry grove last year and knew that the matron from the Wei family who attended the ceremony was a middle-aged woman. Naturally, they had no expectations this year either.

However, they were surprised to see that the young lady who appeared this morning was none other than the one they had tried to catch a glimpse of last year but failed. Indeed, she was as beautiful as a celestial being. At first sight, their eyes lit up, and their feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to move.

From the moment Xiao Qiao appeared, this group of county school scholars followed her closely. Wherever she went, they followed. Now that she was leaving, they dared not get too close due to her status, but they crowded around, following her just to catch one last glimpse of her.

As Xiao Qiao walked out, a group of frivolous young scholars from the county school trailed behind her, jostling and pushing, their faces drooling with admiration, making the scene particularly glaring.

Wei Shao arrived on horseback at the entrance of the mulberry grove and saw this very scene.

He neither revealed himself nor made an appearance. He simply stopped his horse and watched from a distance as Xiao Qiao was escorted by the magistrate of Yuyang to her carriage. Chun Niang and Lin Ao helped her into the carriage.

The carriage departed.

...

Xiao Qiao sat in the carriage, and as they traveled, her drunkenness grew stronger. Her head felt dizzy, and she weakly closed her eyes, leaning against Chun Niang, gradually falling into a drunken slumber. She didn’t even notice when they entered the city and returned to the Wei residence, nor how they got there.

In her hazy state, she vaguely felt as if Chun Niang had carried her out of the carriage, walked her inside, and finally placed her on the bed.

Feeling the touch of the bed beneath her, she relaxed completely and sank into a deep, drunken sleep.

Chun Niang and Lin Ao stood to the side, watching as the Lord, who had just carried the lady from the carriage and brought her inside, placed her on the bed.

Seeing that his expression seemed rather displeased, they both felt uneasy.

Wei Shao’s gaze shifted from the soundly sleeping Xiao Qiao to Chun Niang. He said, "Since the lady cannot handle alcohol, and you are her trusted attendant, why didn’t you advise her? How could she get so drunk in public? What kind of behavior is this?"

Although his tone was calm, the accusatory intent in his words was unmistakable.

The Lord’s temper had always been somewhat volatile, but in all her time at the Wei residence, this was the first time Chun Niang had heard him speak to her in such a severe tone. She felt ashamed and dared not defend herself, only saying, "The Lord is right. It was indeed my negligence. I will be extra careful in serving the lady next time."

Lin Ao didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, keeping her head down and remaining motionless.

Wei Shao waved his hand dismissively. Chun Niang and Lin Ao exchanged a glance and then left the room.

Wei Shao stood by the bed for a moment, gazing at the drunken, soundly sleeping Xiao Qiao.

...Xiao Qiao had not expected to get unexpectedly drunk during today's sacrificial ceremony.

Now, she had sunk into a drunken stupor and was having a strange dream.

In the dream, her body felt as if it was being brushed by a soft bristle brush, bringing her immense comfort—so much so that it made her shiver. Her delicate toes curled tightly, yet every pore on her skin slowly opened up.

She felt weightless, as if being lifted by gentle waves or floating amidst a sea of clouds, swaying endlessly.

The sensation was so pleasant that she couldn't help but let out a soft moan in her dream.