The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Preparing the Meal

Xiao Qiao waited beneath the veranda, finally catching sight of Wei Shao’s return. Hastily descending the stone steps to greet him in person, she spoke aloud: "Husband must be famished. The evening meal has already been prepared; we were merely awaiting your return to dine together." Having spoken, she stole a surreptitious glance at his countenance.
 
Wei Shao halted his steps, staring fixedly at Xiao Qiao.
 
Having been summoned by his mother, he naturally already knew that she had practiced outward compliance while secretly shifting the blame entirely onto Madame Xu. Xiao Qiao ultimately still felt a fraction of a guilty conscience. While waiting for him to dine in a perfectly well-behaved manner moments ago, she had also devised a whole set of coping strategies. Seeing him staring at her like this—his eyes dark as ink and his face smooth as still water—she fell silent, merely waiting for him to open his mouth and interrogate her once more.
 
"Let us dine."
 
To her surprise, he suddenly uttered such a simple sentence. Having spoken, he lifted his foot and walked straight in the direction of the dining quarters. As he strode past her, Xiao Qiao felt a light breeze brush against her face.
 
Xiao Qiao was immensely surprised, freezing in place for a brief moment. Seeing that he walked very swiftly and had already stepped onto the stone stairs, she hastily chased after his retreating figure.
 
...
 
Over these past days, Wei Shao rarely returned to consume dinner. Counting this instance, the two of them had merely dined together three or four times.
 
To be precise, it was Xiao Qiao who had attended to him while he dined three or four times.
 
The low dining table was set upon the couch, and Wei Shao sat squarely in the center of the arrangement. As a woman whose status was not as elevated as his, Xiao Qiao knelt and sat at the lower end to attend to his meal. Only after he finished dining was she permitted to eat.
 
However, during the preceding instances, he had eaten very rapidly and practically never ordered her to perform any tasks. This duty was not exhausting.
 
Adopting a standard kneeling posture, Xiao Qiao pressed her hips against her heels.
 
It had to be said that Wei Shao was born with exceptionally well-aligned bones and sinews, making him a natural clothes hanger. Situated as he was now—sitting upright behind the low table upon the couch, clad in a strictly ordered, right-overlapping deep robe whose broad sleeves fell smoothly down both sides of his shoulders—complemented by his unhurried demeanor, even his gesture of extending his chopsticks to harvest food appeared remarkably fluid. He looked for all the world like a man who had stepped out from the pages of an ancient scroll overflowing with elegant charm. Except he was a living, breathing human.
 
Xiao Qiao cast two glances before retracting her gaze. Suddenly, she heard Wei Shao speak: "Let us dine together."
 
Xiao Qiao froze for a moment, turning her eyes toward him. She noted that he was looking at her with a gentle and pleasant countenance. She hastily declined.
 
"It matters not. Since I bade you join, you shall join."
 
He had already ordered the servants to add another set of bowls and chopsticks.
 
Xiao Qiao felt this sudden invitation was highly suspicious, particularly after his return from the eastern wing. Yet on the rare occasion that he was so amiable, it was also improper for her to prevaricate. She reasoned that consuming a meal ought not to yield any complications. Offering him a slight bow to express her gratitude, she shuffled forward two paces on her knees and sat beside the dining table.
 
Observing the rule of silence while dining.
 
Xiao Qiao silently finished a single small bowl of rice.
 
This was her usual portion for a meal.
 
Raising her eyes, she saw that Wei Shao had also finished eating. Rest with his hands braced upon his respective thighs, a smile graced his face, looking as though he had been watching her eat just now.
 
Swallowing the final mouthful of food, Xiao Qiao gently rested her chopsticks upon the chopstick stand. Just as she was about to summon someone to deliver fresh water to attend to his rinsing, Wei Shao suddenly spoke: "Replenish another bowl of rice for the Mistress."
 
Xiao Qiao hastily shook her head: "Thank you for Husband's kindness. I am already full."
 
"I saw you consume merely these few mouthfuls; how can that suffice to fill your stomach?" Wei Shao said.
 
"It is truly enough. I ordinarily consume only this much." Xiao Qiao explained.
 
"That is because you ordinarily eat far too little!" Wei Shao swept his gaze up and down her figure, a trace of disdain surfacing upon his countenance. "You have resided in my household for some time now, yet you appear even more slender than before. Those who know no better would assume my Wei family does not even provide enough food to fill your stomach. Consume another bowl."
 
Xiao Qiao felt he was speaking absolute nonsense with his eyes wide open.
 
At her current age, with sufficient daily nutrition, she could feel her own physical development perfectly well. Her undergarments from last year had recently grown tight and uncomfortably restrictive, prompting her to change into new ones.
 
However, the maidservant had already delivered the rice.
 
Facing Wei Shao’s attentive gaze, Xiao Qiao could only lower her head in helplessness, striving to finish the second bowl of rice.
 
Once the second bowl went down, her stomach was already full to the point of reaching beneath her chest. Suppressing the urge to let out a full burp, Xiao Qiao set down her chopsticks.
 
"Replenish another bowl for the Mistress."
 
Wei Shao’s voice rang out once more.
 
Xiao Qiao shook her head forcefully: "I truly cannot consume any more!"
 
"Grandmother reproached me previously for neglecting you. You are already so slender and weak; how can you manage if you do not strive to increase your meals?"
 
With a flick of his broad sleeve, Wei Shao rose in person to scoop another bowl of rice, pressing it down densely and firmly before presenting it before Xiao Qiao.
 
Xiao Qiao looked at him. A smile graced his face.
 
"I truly cannot eat any more," Xiao Qiao said with a mournful face.
 
Wei Shao’s countenance instantly sank.
 
"Consume it for me!" His voice also carried a trace of fluid coldness. "Not merely this single meal—starting from tomorrow, you must consume three bowls for me at every meal! Grandmother dotes upon you; if you fail to grow some flesh, I fear I shall have a difficult time accounting for it the next time we stand before Grandmother."
 
Xiao Qiao exchanged glances with him for a brief moment, biting her lip: "Husband, I was wrong."
 
Wei Shao lowered his head, casually tidying his sleeves as he spoke in a careless tone: "Wherein lies your error?"
 
"This morning, Husband wished for me to convey the words to Mother-in-Law in Husband's stead, yet I ventured to the northern wing instead," Xiao Qiao said in a small voice, watching his countenance.
 
Wei Shao offered an "oh" sound, his gaze carrying a half-smile: "Then speak—what should be done about it?"
 
"In the future, I shall never dare again..." Xiao Qiao muttered, letting out a full burp before hastily concealing her face with her sleeve.
 
"There is a next time?" He arched his brows.
 
"No, no..." Xiao Qiao hastily lowered her sleeve, waving her hands. Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from behind her. Turning her head, Xiao Qiao saw a maidservant enter in a rush, bowing as she said, "Lord, General Li Dian requests an audience, stating there is an urgent matter."
 
Wei Shao startled slightly, his expression instantly turning solemn and stern as he rose, leaving Xiao Qiao behind to stride out rapidly.
 
Xiao Qiao watched his departing silhouette, finally exhaling a long breath.
 
On this evening, Xiao Qiao dared not relax as she ordinarily did, remaining perfectly well-behaved within the room as she awaited his return while simultaneously digesting the food that had stuffed her stomach to capacity.
 
She waited until the end of the hour of Haishi, yet Wei Shao never returned. Ultimately unable to endure the fatigue any longer, she finally lay down to sleep with her garments still on.
 
Wei Shao did not return for the entire night.
 
It was not until the evening of the following day that Xiao Qiao finally received word: it turned out that the region around Shanggu, which had enjoyed peace for a considerable duration, had suddenly suffered a raid by a massive horde of Xiongnu cavalry two days prior. The defending garrison and civilian populace suffered nearly a thousand casualties. After engaging in arson, slaughter, and plunder, the Xiongnu declared this to be a grand birthday gift for Madame Xu of Yuyang before fleeing northward.
 
Upon receiving the intelligence, Wei Shao was thoroughly enraged, immediately commanding his cavalry in person to pursue and strike the Xiongnu.
 
...
 
Commanding two thousand elite cavalry, Wei Shao pursued at extreme velocity through day and night, already chasing hundreds of li outside of Shanggu until they arrived at the Sanggan River region—the tacitly recognized temporary border with the Xiongnu royal court. Just moments ago, as the Xiongnu intended to cross the border to return to their court with their plundered spoils of cattle, horses, and women, Wei Shao’s cavalry unexpectedly caught up to them. Caught unprepared, the two factions engaged in a grand battle along the banks of the Sanggan River. Wei Shao plunged into the mounted formation in person to battle the Xiongnu chieftain, Commander of a Thousand Troops Qiemoche. Qiemoche was cleaved beneath his horse by Wei Shao and captured alive, while the remaining Xiongnu cavalry either fled or were captured, scattering in a wretched rout. The cattle and horses plundered from the residents of Shanggu were recovered. Aside from a small number of women who suffered casualties, the vast majority of the remainder were unharmed, though it was inevitable they had already suffered defilement. At this moment, they gathered together with disheveled garments, either sitting or squatting as they embraced one another and wept bitterly.
 
With his iron armor stained with blood, Wei Shao pressed his hand against his blade as he strode past the group of weeping women who had survived the disaster, arriving before the Xiongnu Qiemoche.
 
Qiemoche was exceedingly robust. Although he had already been captured and his body was covered in blood and filth, he nonetheless stiffened his posture and refused to kneel, his head cocked high as he let out a loud laugh toward Wei Shao: "How is it? The grand birthday gift presented to your grandmother—are you satisfied?"
 
Wei Shao’s countenance was dark and gloomy. Stepping forward, he raised his hand, and his scabbard struck heavily against Qiemoche’s face. Qiemoche’s head instantly split open and bled, half a row of teeth broken within his mouth.
 
"Wei Shao, you child! If you dare slay a single one of my men today, in the future, my Xiongnu shall surely repay it tenfold!"
 
Displaying a look of agony, blood flowed continuously from Qiemoche’s mouth as he cursed indistinctly, his appearance terrifying.
 
Accompanying Wei Shao in the pursuit, General Li Dian was thoroughly enraged. He delivered a heavy kick to the hollow of Qiemoche’s knee, causing Qiemoche’s knees to crash against the ground. He attempted to scramble back up but was pinned down by several men, his mouth still continuously spewing curses like "Wei Shao, you child, you dog and rat."
 
Wei Shao slowly drew the long blade from his waist, the edge flashing with a cold, snowy brilliance. With a swift rise and fall of the blade, Qiemoche’s head rolled down from his neck, a pillar of blood spraying high and splashing across the ground.
 
The surroundings turned dead silent; even the women in the distance ceased their weeping.
 
"The remaining Xiongnu captives, regardless of military rank, are all to be executed on the spot."
 
Wei Shao returned his blade to its sheath and issued the command, his expression entirely calm.
 
...
 
The wound Huyan Lie had sustained on the left side of his chest that night was exceedingly deep; another half-inch would have reached his heart.
 
Over these past days, he had been tormented by the injury, and his movements were restricted. Led along with the throng of captured kinsmen beside him to the execution grounds, he secretly channeled his strength, wishing to exert himself to break free from his bonds. Suddenly, a sharp pang shot through his chest, darkness flickered before his eyes, and failing to maintain his footing, he collapsed face-down onto the ground.
 
He had never anticipated that, through a bizarre twist of fate, he would actually lose his life along the banks of the Sanggan River in this manner.
 
Wei Shao, this young Han Chinese, had actually trained a powerful cavalry whose combat capability was not a fraction inferior to that of the Xiongnu. In head-on combat, the Xiongnu had never managed to secure the slightest advantage from his hands. On the contrary, the regions of Yunzhong and Shuofang—which had originally fallen into Xiongnu territory—had also been reclaimed by him, forcing the Xiongnu to retreat hundreds of li northward to herd their sheep and pasture their horses.
 
His name was known to everyone within the Xiongnu royal court. Whenever this name was uttered, no one from the Chanyu and the various princes down to the common populace failed to carry a trace of trepidation.
 
Yet unlike the Tuqi Crown Prince, Worthy King of the Left Wuwei, who had sworn to make an enemy of Wei Shao, the Rizhu King did not harbor an exceptionally bitter hatred toward this Han Chinese adversary.
 
Perhaps it was due to the former Princess who originated from the Wei family; Huyan Lie could only surmise as much.
 
On this journey, he had originally accomplished the tasks required of him, never anticipating that he would encounter this detachment sent out by the Worthy King of the Left on his return path. Upon learning of the Worthy King of the Left's intent to provoke, Huyan Lie had immediately intervened to stop them, but how could Qiemoche possibly comply? A conflict erupted between the two sides.
 
Huyan Lie had always been a renowned Commander of a Thousand Troops among the Xiongnu, boasting numerous military achievements. Yet on that day, he was entirely alone, and coupled with his injuries, he was ultimately defeated and captured. Qiemoche intended to drag him back to hand over to the Worthy King of the Left to create difficulties for the Rizhu King, and thus bound him, dragging him along to Shanggu. Once the plundering concluded, he was forced to travel alongside them, never expecting to be pursued and overtaken by Wei Shao’s cavalry here. A grand battle ensued, and he, alongside Qiemoche's men, became a captive.
 
Throughout his life, he had slain countless individuals. There were his own kinsmen slain for the sake of contending for power, as well as Han Chinese, Wusun people, and Hu揭 people slain for the sake of seizing territory...
 
Dying was originally of little consequence. Yet to perish in such a manner left him truly unreconciled.
 
Huyan Lie knew that Wei Shao’s soldiers were already executing the command issued by Wei Shao. Wailing, furious cursing, and pleas for mercy—all manner of sounds blended together as the captives before him collapsed one by one. Very soon, it would be his turn.
 
He took a deep breath, just about to channel his strength to make a final struggle when suddenly, someone stepped upon his body from behind. Following this, a voice he recognized rang out: "This Xiongnu harbors a blood feud with me; I shall slay him with my own hands."
 
Wei Yan addressed the colonel ordered to execute the command.
 
With Wei Yan speaking, the colonel naturally complied, immediately handing the man over.
 
Wei Yan dragged the motionless Huyan Lie to the edge of the Sanggan River. Seeing no one nearby, he used the tip of his blade to slice open the ropes binding Huyan Lie.
 
Huyan Lie was immensely grateful, struggling to kneel and prostrate himself toward him: "Young Master, the matter at Shanggu was orchestrated by the Worthy King of the Left..."
 
"Scram back."
 
Wei Yan did not listen to the conclusion, letting out a sharp reprimand before turning around and departing with large strides.
 
...
 
On the fifth evening following his departure, Wei Shao finally returned.
 
Madame Xu was immensely delighted, venturing out in person to welcome the contingent of Wei Yan and Wei Shao. Seeing them covered in the dust of travel, she offered words of comfort before commanding the brothers to depart early to rest.
 
When Wei Shao returned to the western wing, the sky had already turned dark.
 
Xiao Qiao welcomed him outside the doors of the western wing.
 
The iron armor upon his body had not yet been removed. Standing there, the maidservants assisted him in dismantling and removing the armor, his pair of eyes fixed upon Xiao Qiao.
 
Xiao Qiao hesitated briefly, but ultimately still stepped before him, raising her hands to personally assist him in unfastening the armor.
 
Beholding this sight, the maidservants retreated down the steps.
 
The distance between Xiao Qiao and him grew exceedingly close. While unfastening the armor, she detected a dried odor blending dust and blood upon his body, which was somewhat pungent to the nose.
 
She felt as though two gazes were fixed upon the crown of her head. Raising her eyes, she saw that he was looking down slightly, staring straight at her.
 
Xiao Qiao’s two rows of eyelashes fluttered slightly. Biting her lip, she lowered her eyes. Holding her breath, she finally managed to unfasten the heavy armor for him, then stepped back a pace in an impassive manner.
 
Wei Shao shed the armor onto the ground himself, leaving only a set of inner garments stained with dust and blood upon his body. Casting a glance at Xiao Qiao, who had already distanced herself from him, he turned around and entered the bathhouse. When he emerged, he had changed into a set of clean, orderly garments, his broad sleeves fluttering. His damp black hair was secured atop his head with a jade hairpin, his appearance elegant and handsome—entirely distinct from the blood-soaked aura he had carried upon his immediate return.
"Is Husband heading over to consume food?"
 
Xiao Qiao inquired of him.
 
Wei Shao patted his abdomen, nodded, and turned around to walk toward the dining quarters. Xiao Qiao followed to attend to him. Upon reaching the doorway, she beheld Nanny Jiang from the eastern wing arriving, displaying a respectful expression upon her face as she bowed and said the Mistress had prepared food over there, requesting the Lord to shift his steps to dine.
"The Mistress feels heartache for the Lord. She entered the kitchen to fashion it with her own hands, hoping the Lord will shift his steps."
 
Wei Shao hesitated briefly, turning his head to cast a glance at Xiao Qiao.
 
Xiao Qiao hastily said: "Since Mother-in-Law has also prepared food, Husband may head over there. There is no obstacle on my end."
 
Wei Shao said nothing further, stepping forward to walk toward the eastern wing.