The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Zhengzhang

The affairs within the domestic quarters of the household caused Wei Shao to experience a bit of a headache.

The reason for his headache was that, when facing his own mother, even if she had perpetrated an act like the one last night, he remained consistently incapable of hardening his heart to employ the swift and decisive martial cruelty he was accustomed to utilizing.

In this world, if he were absolutely required to name the women he was unable to ruthlessly deal with, the number would not exceed three.

His grandmother was naturally one.

His mother, Lady Zhu, was one.

And furthermore...

There was no longer anyone else.

Wei Shao immediately banished that face of days gone by from his mind.

Very swiftly, he no longer possessed superfluous time or energy to ponder further upon the domestic affairs of the household.

The frontier city had not suffered a massive onslaught from the Xiongnu like the recent one at Shanggu for several years.

Several years prior, the Chanyu had successively suffered several crushing defeats. On that final occasion, he had led his own cavalry to pursue the Xiongnu deep for a thousand li, breaking the Western Court—one of the four corner royal courts—and forcing it to migrate at one point. From then on, the Xiongnu people had ceased descending south to commit frequent incursions as they had in the past, and the Youzhou border was likewise enabled to achieve tranquility.

Judging from the intelligence successively returned by the scouts previously, because Chanyu Yixiemo's physique was gradually declining, the struggle for the successor had consequently become the greatest conflict within the Xiongnu royal court at present. The Tuqi Crown Prince, Wisely King of the Left Wuwei, was Yixiemo's son and the successor to the position of Chanyu; however, this crown prince did not exceptionally command the hearts of the Xiongnu people, whereas his paternal uncle, Rizhu King Wuzhuqu, commanded people's hearts to a greater degree. Within the royal court, among the council of nobles, the Wisely Kings of the Left and Right, the Grand Chief Commandants of the Left and Right, and the Grand Households of the Left and Right—these vital figures originating from the Chanyu's progeny or renowned Xiongnu clans—more and more individuals began to overtly or covertly support the Rizhu King, which aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of the Wisely King of the Left, and the struggle between him and his paternal uncle grew increasingly fierce by the day.

Wei Shao was already aware that the band of Xiongnu cavalry that raided Shanggu originated from the Wisely King of the Left, Wuwei.

Choosing to launch a sudden raid upon Shanggu during the very hour of Madame Xu's grand longevity celebration, Wuwei desired to employ this method to establish prestige among his tribesmen and provoke Wuzhuqu; simultaneously, it was also a manifestation of wreaking vengeance upon himself for that defensive battle of the royal court where he had been defeated by his own hand many years prior.

It was precisely because of that failure that Wuwei's prestige had suffered a massive blow, allowing the Rizhu King's faction to slowly begin its rise.

This lesson from Shanggu caused Wei Shao to become vigilant once more.

In recent years, because the border was devoid of incidents, he had placed the vast majority of his energy upon the military campaigns to unify the north.

Unifying the north was grantedly vital, but guarding the frontier and protecting the territory to resist the Xiongnu was the very foundation upon which the Wei family had stood for four generations as Three Ducal Ministers, and to which the common people pledged their allegiance.

The work to which his grandfather and father had dedicated their entire lives could not be severed in his own hands; even if he was required to postpone, or even indefinitely interrupt his objective of aspiring to the Central Plains for this cause, he was left with no alternative.

The moment Wei Shao crossed the threshold in the morning, he immediately plunged into a state of bustling activity. From east to west, military dispatches from over ten vital frontier cities utilized to garrison against the Xiongnu—including Liucheng, Baitan, Baideng, Mayi, and Sanggan—were successively delivered to the command office. He deliberated with his subordinate commanders and ministers regarding strengthening vigilance, arranging defense, and dispatching troops and generals. Once the paperwork was concluded, he again exited the city to inspect the camps, and by the time he finished the affairs of this day and returned to the city, night had already fallen.

It had not merely fallen; it was late.

In truth, he could have originally concluded affairs a fraction earlier, and subsequently returned earlier.

Yet he had personally inspected every single stockade and camp outside the city, and it was not until he emerged from the gates of the final, most distant, and exceedingly small stockade camp that he finally trotted back on horseback beneath the illumination of the moon.

By this time, it was already exceptionally late.

Li Dian, Zhang Jian, and the others traveling alongside him all assumed that the Lord-Marquis was putting forth such personal effort for the sake of the affair at Shanggu from days prior. This matter could originally have been entirely executed by them on his behalf.

Wei Shao was indeed acting for the sake of the Shanggu affair.

Yet only he himself knew in his heart that it was actually also because of her within the household.

While bustling during the day, he likewise lacked the leisure to ponder upon the events of last night. At this moment when he was about to return, he slowly began to grow ill at ease, somewhat at a loss as to how to face her directly once more.

Recalling those acts he had executed upon her person last night... recalling how she had been bullied by him until her back exuded a fragrant sweat and she gasped delicately... recalling that tone of hers carrying a trace of a weeping sound when she complained about why he was unwilling to release more quickly because her hand had long since grown pained and her arm sore...

While Wei Shao was still astride his horse, a sudden surge of heat and swelling expanded across his lower abdomen, a sensation almost identical to having consumed the Queen Mother's immortal medicine fed to him by his mother last night.

Consequently, he desired all the more to refrain from encountering her so quickly.

The occurrence that transpired between him and her last night was altogether too sudden.

This originally mattered not. She was his wife; he possessed a need for release, and she just happened to be by his side. That he could halt midway at an extremely aroused juncture to treat her in such a manner—in truth, even he himself failed to comprehend up to this moment what exactly had been going through his mind at the time, to say nothing of that subsequently repeated process bout after bout.

He knew not how he had managed to endure without possessing her.

All of this was whatever. What truly caused him to feel awkward was the degree of his own immersion toward the end, which had completely exceeded his prognostications.

He was thoroughly caught off guard. He was even further incapable of determining what manner of attitude he should employ henceforth to face her—a woman of the Qiao family whom he had originally wed purely to serve as an ornamental fixture.

...

Wei Shao finally entered the Wei estate at last.

It was nearly the hour of Hai. Aside from the servants keeping the night watch and the row upon row of illuminating lanterns swaying within the night breeze, the entire Wei estate had already thoroughly merged into one with the night scenery.

Wei Shao strode into the western wing, passing through the intersecting courtyard, and from afar he saw the dim, yellowish lamplight spilling from within the doors and windows of the central chamber at the far end of the paved path.

His steps were originally not rapid, and at this moment they slowed even further. In the end, however, he nonetheless arrived beneath the steps of the veranda. A maidservant who was leaning against a veranda pillar awaiting to close the door and nodding off heard the footsteps; turning her face and seeing him return, her spirit rallied, and hastily forcing her eyelids open, she stood up straight, just about to call out to him when she was checked by Wei Shao's gesture.

Wei Shao stepped up the stairs, arriving before the threshold, and paused for a brief moment before raising his hand to slowly push open that partially closed door, whereupon he strode inside.

Affairs between man and woman are the human relations of Yin and Yang, to say nothing of husband and wife.

He thought to himself.

...

Although the night was deep, Xiao Qiao was nonetheless completely incapable of acting as she had in the past—waiting and waiting, only to finally doze off on her own in a lighthearted and unconcerned manner.

In truth, she conversely wished that she could drift off to sleep, so that she would subsequently have no need to face that face of Wei Shao's again.

In order to locate a bit of business for herself to execute, she finally began to copy silk manuscripts once more. Once she began copying, it lasted for the better part of an hour, and her originally floating and unsettled mood finally settled into tranquility slowly.

Yet the movement he made when pushing open the door to enter, though not immense, nonetheless interrupted her thoughts that had originally been gradually calming down.

She finished writing the character currently beneath her brush, rested the brush back upon the brush rack, and then arose, turning her person around.

Wei Shao had already entered, his silhouette flickering beside the screen before he instantly appeared before her face.

The moment she looked, she immediately exhaled a sigh of relief.

He appeared no different from usual.

No, it should be said that he was even colder and more detached than usual. Normally when he entered, he would at least cast a single glance at her.

Tonight, with her—a massive living person—standing before him, he failed to sweep even a single fraction of a glance from the corner of his eye toward her, striding with rapid steps straight toward the direction of the bathhouse—his steps so swift that she lacked even the opportunity to step forward to greet him as usual with a formulaic remark such as "Husband has returned."

Gazing at his retreating figure, the vexation regarding how to face him after that intimate contact upon the bed—which had bedeviled Xiao Qiao for this entire day today—was instantly resolved.

It appeared that in his estimation, that simply did not qualify as an affair of any consequence.

This was for the best.

Xiao Qiao exhaled a breath, turning around to permit the maidservants who had already approached outside upon hearing the sound to enter and attend to her bathing.

...

Wei Shao emerged from within the bathhouse having changed his garments, finally raising his eyes to cast a glance at Xiao Qiao.

His first glance at her tonight.

He discovered that she was identical to usual, merely gazing at him in such a manner. Seeing him emerge, a smile that was clearly piled on appeared across her face as she stepped forward to inquire of him: "Does Husband wish to consume some supper?"

He had originally assumed that following the intimacy of last night, she would press close toward him, or manifest a coy and bashful appearance before him.

Yet she actually had not... appearing no different from usual, still so "virtuous."

It was just as if... she had completely forgotten how she had attended to him upon the bed last night.

Aside from that final region—which he was restricted from taking due to his initial promise not to despoil her—what manner of appearance she possessed across her entire frame was already thoroughly clear to him.

Merely a single day had passed, yet she appeared to have forgotten it completely?

Or rather, the experience of last night was something she simply failed to commit to heart?

A sudden wave of displeasure arose within Wei Shao's heart—a displeasure born of being thoroughly ignored by someone.

This was exceedingly rare for him.

He consequently passed beside her with an expressionless countenance, arriving at the side of the bed, vaulting onto it, and saying: "No need. Sleep."

Xiao Qiao offered an "oh" sound, walking to the doorway to instruct the maidservants to disperse to their respective quarters to rest, finally closing the door and returning to the inner chamber.

Wei Shao lay flat upon his back on the bed, his hands crossed to cradle the back of his head. Closing his eyes for a moment, he perceived that she had not followed him to extinguish the lamp and board the bed; slowly opening his eyes, he saw her standing at the foot of the bed beside his feet, her eyes precisely gazing at him. He consequently knit his brows slightly, saying: "What is it? Not sleeping yet?"

Xiao Qiao said: "Husband, there is a matter that has perplexed me for an entire day during the day. I thought that I ought to let you be aware of it, yet I feared you would grow angry with me upon learning of it."

"What matter?"

"When Husband returned moments ago, did you happen to visit Mother over at the western quarters?"

"Never."

Xiao Qiao's voice softened: "Mother... was punished by Grandmother today to face the wall within the ancestral temple... and it is unknown when she will be permitted to return..."

Wei Shao appeared to startle slightly, slowly sitting up as both eyes gazed at Xiao Qiao: "What happened?"

Xiao Qiao bit her lip: "Because of the affair of last night..."

The gaze with which Wei Shao looked upon her instantly became sharp, pausing: "Was it you who went to inform Grandmother?"

"It was Grandmother who summoned me over for questioning."

Wei Shao uttered no sound, knitting his brows.

Xiao Qiao then recounted the sequence of events from during the day.

"...At the time, Grandmother inquired of me if I knew what transpired over at the eastern wing last night, saying she heard you flew into a towering rage and actually kicked and broke the door down, and furthermore inquired regarding the matter of retrieving ice blocks on this side. When Grandmother questioned me, I dared not refrain from responding. As for the affairs over at the eastern wing, I was unaware and naturally would not respond randomly; I merely recounted the matter of retrieving ice blocks on this side..."

Wei Shao glared at her, the corner of his lips appearing to twitch slightly: "You claimed I was afflicted by an aphrodisiac?"

"No." Xiao Qiao hastily shook her head. "I merely stated you utilized ice blocks to take a bath, and being thirsty, bade me pour water for you to drink, along with a fraction of the subsequent events... The moment Grandmother heard this, she ceased questioning, and then I returned."

A bout of silence ensued.

Xiao Qiao lifted her eyes to steal a glance at him.

His countenance was rigid, looking like one who had been struck across the face by a slap.

Witnessing this appearance of his, for some unknown reason, far from feeling a single fraction of fear, Xiao Qiao conversely possessed a sensation of wishing to laugh.

In view of the consequences of her having inadvertently laughed slightly on a previous occasion, she naturally dared not laugh randomly on this occasion. Managing with difficulty to suppress it, she spoke furthermore in an exceedingly earnest tone: "Husband, the commotion you created over at the eastern wing last night was indeed immense; even if she refrained from questioning me, Grandmother herself would inevitably find out sooner or later. Ponder it yourself to see if this is the truth of the matter. I know you were unwilling to let Grandmother know, and I harbored the identical thought as you. It is merely that the affair of today was truly completely outside my expectations. Grandmother specifically questioned me, and I was truly left with no alternative. If Husband truly blames me for being talkative, you need only mete out punishment; I am willingly prepared to receive it, absolutely without a second word..."

"Enough!"

Wei Shao interrupted her, his expression slowly softening a fraction as he exhaled a breath.

"If it has been spoken, then so be it. Did I claim that I blame you?"

He cast a glance at her, speaking flatly.

"Many thanks, Husband," Xiao Qiao said softly.

The two of them lapsed into silence for another brief period.

Wei Shao looked upon her once more, seeing her still standing in such a manner upon the floor before the bed, her eyes cast down.

"Sleep," he finally stated, lying back down himself anew.

Xiao Qiao offered an "en" sound, walking over to blow out the lamp.

The room dimmed into darkness. The moonlight was sifted through the window paper, casting a pool of watery, shallow white silhouette upon the floor before the wall.

Wei Shao turned his face slightly, observing her hazy retreating figure as she stood before the bed with lowered head to undo her sash, shedding her outer garments.

Xiao Qiao placed the outer garments she had removed upon the clothes rack, resting them beside his clothing, whereupon she climbed onto the bed and lay down.

Nanny Chun had repeatedly instructed her that the young lord could sleep with his back turned to her upon the bed, but she was forbidden from turning her back to the young lord.

She did not particularly desire to face toward him, so generally when she first boarded the bed, she was typically flat upon her back.

This was also the most standard sleeping posture.

She was not actually all that submissive. Sometimes when she woke up in the morning, she would find that at some point during the night, she had shifted into a position where she was facing inward, with her back turned completely toward him.

...

Xiao Qiao lay flat on her back, her hands properly clasped over her abdomen. With her eyes closed, she was drifting through a chaotic tangle of thoughts when she sensed Wei Shao turn over beside her.

He shifted toward her and seemed to draw a fraction closer. Xiao Qiao's nerves immediately strung tight.

"During the day, Grandmother summoned you for questioning. From what I gathered, you mentioned what happened after I took that bath. What exactly did you say to her?"

His voice suddenly drifted through the dimness. It carried a strange tone that Xiao Qiao found somewhat difficult to decipher.

Xiao Qiao had not expected him to suddenly bring this up again, and she was instantly flooded with awkward embarrassment.

"I really didn't say anything inappropriate... Grandmother figured it out on her own..." Xiao Qiao muttered ambiguously, seizing the opportunity to roll over and turn her back to him.

A period of silence settled behind her.

Suddenly, Xiao Qiao heard a faint creak echo from some corner of the bed as Wei Shao pressed closer to her. Following that, a wave of heat assailed her ear; he had leaned his face down, pressing his lips right against her earlobe.

"What exactly did you tell Grandmother about what happened after my bath?" he asked with deliberate slowness.
"Did you tell her that we haven't consummated our marriage yet, and that you merely used your hand to attend to me?" His tone was rather peculiar.

His chest was pressed almost completely against her back and shoulder. The moment that hot breath brushed against her ear, the fine hairs on Xiao Qiao's neck stood on end, leaving her tingling and numb.

Xiao Qiao hastily shrunk her head deeper into the corner of the quilt, dodging his mouth.

"No, no! How could I possibly say such a thing! Rest assured!"

Wei Shao lapsed into silence. Slowly, he lay back down.

Xiao Qiao exhaled a sigh of relief.