The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Nanny Chun was startled.
She had indeed heard of this name before.
A few months ago, when she had first arrived at the Wei estate, she had made discreet inquiries regarding Zheng Shu’s business. At the time, she had inadvertently caught a few stray clues from an old maidservant who had worked in the Wei household for many years. Later, after she finished speaking of Zheng Shu before her mistress, she had been right on the verge of bringing up this person, only to be interrupted.
Nanny Chun had originally intended to find another opportunity afterward to tell Xiao Qiao. But subsequently, she discovered that once the Lord returned to Yuyang, he had begun to share a bed with the Mistress, and their relationship seemed to show signs of becoming increasingly harmonious. Thus, Nanny Chun hesitated.
That woman named Su Ehuang was, after all, an affair from the distant past, and she had long since married into another household and was currently far away at the edge of the sky. Since the Lord and Mistress were getting along harmoniously, there seemed to be no need for her to deliberately mention it before the Mistress, lest she invite needless vexation upon her out of thin air. For this reason, Nanny Chun had never brought it up to Xiao Qiao again. Now, suddenly hearing her ask about it, Nanny Chun lifted her eyes and saw her looking at her with a pair of bright eyes made misty and dreamy by the vapors of the bath. Hesitating for a moment, Nanny Chun probed cautiously, "Why does the Mistress suddenly mention this name? Could it be that you have heard something?"
Seeing her like this, Xiao Qiao knew that Nanny Chun must have heard something in the past. Tilting her lovely head against her porcelain-white arm, she smiled and said, "I have learned a bit. Tell me what you know first, Nanny Chun."
...
Su Ehuang was the eldest daughter of the Su family, the Marquises of Xuanping from the Kingdom of Zhongshan. The Su family also belonged to the maternal relatives of the Zhongshan royal house. It was said that at the time of her birth, the entire chamber was filled with a strange fragrance, as sweet and fragrant as irises and orchids. Her mother then sought out a mystic to divine her fate, and the mystic declared that this girl possessed a destiny of ultimate nobility.
The Su family already held a marquisate, and their wealth and honor were already overwhelming. For them to give birth to a daughter with a destiny of ultimate nobility, the implicit meaning required no explanation. The entire family was filled with immense joy, doting on her like a precious gem. Su Ehuang did not disappoint her family's expectations; as she gradually grew up, her appearance became outstanding, and she was exceptionally skilled in musical temperaments, her singing voice as melodious as a skylark. Not only was she known to everyone in the Kingdom of Zhongshan, but the reputation of the Su family's daughter gradually spread all the way to Luoyang.
The Su family shared a distant relationship with Madame Xu. Over a decade ago, while Wei Shao’s father, Wei Jing, was still alive, the two families frequently visited each other. Su Ehuang and Wei Shao had known each other since childhood, and she had shown great care toward Wei Shao, who was two years her junior.
In the current era, marriages not only demanded a match of equal social standing, but it was also fashionable to wed an older wife, with the female being two or three years older than the male considered ideal. As Su Ehuang and Wei Shao gradually grew up, the two families saw how perfectly matched they were and had once conceived the notion of an alliance through marriage. Unexpectedly, unpredictable storms arise in the heavens; when Wei Shao was twelve, a major calamity befell the Wei family. Wei Jing and his eldest son both perished in battle, and the Wei family lost its central pillars. For a long period spanning several years, the Wei family relied entirely on Madame Xu's independent support, making the situation exceptionally difficult. During the first year, the two families still maintained some contact, but gradually, their interactions grew sparse. Three years later, when Wei Shao was fifteen and began to take his first steps in commanding military affairs under Madame Xu’s tutelage, the seventeen-year-old Su Ehuang was wed. Her husband was the younger brother of the late Emperor Xuan, Liu Li, the Governor of Zuo Fengyi. After their marriage, Su Ehuang settled in Luoyang with her husband, frequenting the palaces, and before long, she acquired a title that resonated throughout Luoyang: "The Lady of the Jade Pavilion."
It was said that her husband doted on her immensely, and had specifically constructed a magnificent tower for her north of the Li Platform in Luoyang, naming it the Jade Pavilion, from which she derived this title.
...
The past events concerning Su Ehuang that Nanny Chun had pried from the old maidservant of the Wei household were inevitably fragmented, amounting to roughly just these details.
What Nanny Chun did not know was that heaven grows jealous of beautiful countenances, and the House of Han had fallen into decline. Less than three years after Su Ehuang arrived in Luoyang, Emperor Xuan died of a sudden, violent illness. Emperor Xuan left no male heirs and had two brothers: one was Su Ehuang’s husband, Liu Li, and the other was Liu Ai, the King of Hedong. The two fought, and the hundreds of civil and military officials at court each took their respective sides. While they remained in a bitter stalemate, Xing Xun—the Governor of Henan, who possessed the greatest power at the time—led a grand army into Luoyang. Proclaiming that Liu Ai had poisoned Emperor Xuan, he executed Liu Ai under the pretext of rescuing the sovereign. He then selected the seven-year-old Liu Tong from the imperial clan to ascend as Emperor, while he himself had monopolized the administration of the state to this day. Furthermore, he placed Liu Li under strict surveillance. Liu Li grew depressed and despondent, dying of illness last year. Su Ehuang was newly widowed, and for some unknown reason, she had now returned to the Kingdom of Zhongshan.
...
"Aside from those matters, did Husband have any other connections with the Lady of the Jade Pavilion during his youth? If you know, Nanny Chun, do not hide it from me—you must tell me!"
Xiao Qiao pressed her with a coaxing tone.
Nanny Chun clearly looked as though she did not wish to say much more, but unable to withstand Xiao Qiao's wheedling, she could only add: "...This servant has not heard much else... I only heard that old maidservant mention that back then, although the Lord managed to fight his way out of the heavy encirclement with his family generals, he was also heavily wounded and nursed his injuries for half a year before recovering. During those days, the young lady of the Su family remained entirely within the Wei estate to tend to him..."
Xiao Qiao’s eyes blinked slightly, and a bead of water that had condensed upon her eyelashes like a fragment of a diamond suddenly rolled down.
"The water has turned completely cold; arise and dress yourself. If you soak any longer, take care lest you catch a chill."
Nanny Chun spoke, yet she appeared to feel a trace of regret. She hastily halted her words and altered her phrasing to urge Xiao Qiao out.
Xiao Qiao offered an "oh," flashed a smile at Nanny Chun, accepted the bath towel handed to her, and arose from the water.
...
That night, Consort Mother Yuan passed away. The following day, the Kingdom of Zhongshan went into mourning, and the funeral was held seven days later. Madame Xu remained until the funeral arrangements concluded. The fatigue of many days combined with her grief took its toll; on the morning after the funeral, just as they were preparing to set out on their return journey, she found herself unable to rise from her bed. Liu Duan was thoroughly alarmed and summoned the imperial physicians for a joint consultation. Fortunately, the diagnosis revealed that Madame Xu had merely contracted a minor ailment. After she took her medicine, Xiao Qiao attended to her side day and night, and after a few days, she slowly nursed her back to health. Liu Duan let out a sigh of relief, and his service became increasingly attentive.
Madame Xu rested for a few more days until her failing health recovered. Calculating this excursion, it had already been nearly a month from start to finish. Bearing the military affairs of Wei Shao in mind, she selected a date to set out on their return journey.
The night before their return, Liu Duan once again hosted a farewell banquet in the royal palace. Madame Xu, feeling weary, did not show her face, letting Xiao Qiao attend in her stead. That evening, Nanny Zhong accompanied her side. Adorned in magnificent garments and grand makeup, her radiant beauty shining brightly, Xiao Qiao sat squarely in the center of the principal seat for honored guests. Surrounded by the royal family and a throng of male and female guests, her exchanges were entirely proper, and her refined demeanor was naturally expressed.
Upon returning after the banquet concluded, Madame Xu privately questioned Nanny Zhong.
Nanny Zhong replied, "This servant observed the Mistress; her disposition is celestial and her bearing immortal, commanding the respect of all present. She possesses the very flair the Old Madame had in her youth."
...
While Madame Xu concluded this nearly month-long distant journey and embarked on the road back to Yuyang with Xiao Qiao, far away in the Taihang Mountains, the two armies of Wei Shao and Chen Xiang had already engaged in several indirect, testing skirmishes, each experiencing advances and retreats. Yesterday, the two armies had finally clashed at Leping, north of the Taihang Mountains.
In the late spring of the fourth month, upon the boundless plains of Leping, the fragrant grass grew lush and wild flowers blurred the vision. On just such a late spring morning, the over three hundred thousand troops of Wei Shao and Chen Xiang locked in a chaotic slaughter.
This was the largest and most fiercely contested field battle between two opposing sides in the North over the past decade. The two greatest warlords of the North—Wei Shao of Youzhou and Chen Xiang of Binzhou—had remained in a stalemate for so many years, and by now, both sides appeared to have run out of patience. Each hungered for this final decisive victory that could utterly annihilate the opponent, thereby realizing their soaring ambition of unifying the North. Every infantryman and cavalryman of both sides was fully committed. Following the clash of battle formations, when the two armies truly locked together, there remained only a life-or-death melee; tactics and strategies lost all utility upon this flat wilderness.
The grand battle commenced from early morning, transforming the originally silent and beautiful plains of Leping into a living purgatory. Corpses and wounded men struggling in pools of blood lay everywhere. In the end, among those heaps of blood-soaked bodies tangled together in collapse, it was no longer possible to distinguish which came from Binzhou and which came from Youzhou.
After the clash of weapons persisted for several double-hours, Chen Xiang's soldiers finally could no longer hold their ground, and some began to retreat and flee.
Although Chen Xiang’s foundation in Binzhou had been passed down from his grandfather's generation and could be described as deeply rooted, Chen Xiang was narrow-minded by nature, employing mostly his personal favorites while delighting in listening to slander. His laws were unclear and his military discipline lax; his combat strength was simply not on the same level as Wei Shao’s army. Once the two armies fought to such a point where it was either kill or be killed, a single instance of disintegrating morale caused the rest to scatter like a startled flock of sheep. Before long, Chen Xiang's soldiers competed with one another to flee for their lives. Chen Xiang's grand generals executed several subordinate commanders who took the lead in fleeing, yet they could not halt the collapse. Wei Shao's army seized the opportunity to beat the drums and launch a fierce assault, pursuing them in a single breath for over twenty li. Chen Xiang's army discarded their helmets and armor, abandoning countless supply wagons along the route. Chen Xiang suffered a devastating defeat. In the end, under the desperate protection of his trusted retainers, he managed to escape. While on the road fleeing to Jinyang, he received word that Jinyang had already been breached by another route of Wei Shao's forces. Plunged into despair, he raised his blade to commit suicide, but was restrained by the retainers at his side. Following a hurried consultation, they hastily fled south to seek refuge with his old acquaintance, Cao Jin of Hedong. He desired to seek vengeance several times, yet his strength was insufficient and he was utterly broken. The following year, his old wounds flared up, and he died in deep despondency.
...
The following day, Wei Shao’s grand army entered Jinyang. Li Dian took charge of the city defenses, while Wei Quan pacified the populace. They captured the entirety of Chen Xiang's household, numbering over two hundred individuals; all the males were executed, and the females were cast into slavery. Wei Shao entered the Jinyang Governor's administrative office, where his deputy general Tan Fu arrived to report. Tan Fu stated that moments ago, among a crowd of escorted female captives, he had noticed a woman whose stature was unusually tall compared to the others, and her walking posture and demeanor were excessively affected. Suspicion arose in his heart; stepping forward to inspect, he recognized him to be Chen Xiang’s son, Chen Rui. Seeing that he had been exposed, Chen Rui killed two of the escorting soldiers and fled, but was subsequently captured alive. Tan Fu inquired how Wei Shao wished to handle him.
Wei Shao had remained sleepless throughout the night, and at this moment, he still wore his blood-stained battle armor, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. Hearing the name of Chen Rui, he felt an intense loathing, and without a second thought, he immediately commanded that he be beheaded. Tan Fu was just about to depart when he added resentfully, "That scoundrel Chen Rui—even after being captured just now, his mouth was still filled with vile and filthy words to insult the Lord. Beheading him is truly letting him off too easily!"
Wei Shao had already been heading inside, but suddenly hearing this, he halted his steps and commanded Tan Fu to bring the man in. Receiving the command, Tan Fu quickly had Chen Rui escorted over.
...
During the battle of Shiyi at the beginning of the year, Chen Pang had been captured, while Chen Rui had fortunately managed to escape by using the grave mounds. After scurrying back to Jinyang in a wretched state, he completely refrained from mentioning his own improper command before Chen Xiang, throwing the entire responsibility for losing the city onto Chen Pang.
Chen Xiang and Chen Pang were not born of the same mother. Chen Pang possessed the merit of guarding Shiyi steadfastly for many years and had won the hearts of the people; even when the populace of Jinyang mentioned Chen Pang, they frequently offered words of praise. Deep within his heart, Chen Xiang had long harbored a secret jealousy toward this brother. Now that Shiyi was lost, his anger was already shifted onto him, and combined with Chen Rui's distortion of black and white, far from reprimanding Chen Rui, he believed all of it entirely, his whole mind set on reclaiming Shiyi to wipe out his previous disgrace. Previously, he had allied with Xue Tai, expending immense care to plot a single strike that would crush Wei Shao. For the battle of Leping, to leave a path of retreat, he had commanded Chen Rui to lead ten thousand troops to defend Jinyang. He had not anticipated a complete collapse; Leping was a disastrous defeat, and Jinyang was also captured. When the city was breached, Chen Rui had no path of escape. Spying a group of camp courtesans, a stroke of inspiration struck him, and he disguised himself as a woman to mingle among them. His features were feminine to begin with, so when disguised as a woman, he actually appeared convincing at a glance. It was merely that he had embraced the Buddha's feet only at the last moment; the walking posture he imitated was truly bizarre, which instead drew Tan Fu's attention, leading to his capture and being bound over.
Chen Rui was still clad in women's attire at this moment, a flower tucked into his hair, appearing quite striking as a woman at first glance. However, his body was tightly bound in ropes, and his mouth had long since been slapped by Tan Fu until it was red and swollen. Now brought before Wei Shao, he refused to display the slightest weakness, still standing straight as he broke into loud curses: "Wei Shao, you Youzhou bandit! If your granddaddy creases his brow while in your hands, your granddaddy will crawl like a turtle! Last time I ruined your good business, and today you seize my Chen family's cities—even if I turn into a malicious ghost, I will surely eat your flesh alive!"
Wei Shao walked toward him, his gaze dark and sinister.
"Come, come! Kill me!"
Chen Rui knew that today there was absolutely no path to survival left. Hardening his heart, he desired only to enjoy a moment of verbal spite, laughing uproariously: "Do you imagine the Qiao girl is still your wife? Her heart was won by me long ago! Last time she was brought into the city by me, that very night I became a pair of blissful immortals with her! I, Chen Rui, have possessed countless women in my life, yet she can be considered the premier prize I have ever encountered! A foot as soft as bean curd—taking a single bite is enough to steal one's soul! The Qiao girl was so thoroughly mastered by me that she was utterly entranced, straight up declaring that Wei Shao was incompetent and had never given her the slightest pleasure, and that it was only with me that she finally tasted the joys of the bedchamber! Haha! Having slept with such a beauty, even if I, Chen Rui, die today, I shall be a romantic ghost beneath the flowers—it was worth it..."
Wei Shao's five fingers clenched tightly into a fist, the veins and knuckles bulging violently. With a sudden, savage punch, he struck Chen Rui heavily in the chest. Amidst a distinct, sharp crack of fracturing bone, several of Chen Rui's ribs shattered completely, and his body was sent flying, smashing against the wall behind him before crashing to the floor.
Chen Rui continuously vomited fresh blood, collapsing upon the ground as he gasped heavily for breath, his mouth still mummuling and muttering incoherently.
The veins upon Wei Shao’s forehead remained bulged, and his crimson eyes stared at Chen Rui upon the ground as he addressed Tan Fu: "Sever his manhood and stuff it into his mouth!"
...
On the night before their departure, Su Ehuang had also come once more to bid farewell to Madame Xu, yet in the end, she did not manage to see Madame Xu's face. Nanny Zhong went out and told her with absolute courtesy that the Old Madame's body was exhausted following her illness, and since she had to travel early tomorrow, she had already retired to rest. Su Ehuang then inquired after Xiao Qiao, and Nanny Zhong stated that the Mistress had returned from the palace banquet slightly intoxicated and was likewise unsuited to receive guests. She would convey the Lady's sentiments to each of them respectively. Su Ehuang bore a smile upon her face at the time, showing no signs of distress, and after chatting idly with Nanny Zhong for a couple of sentences, she took her leave.
The following day, Xiao Qiao set out on the road with Madame Xu. King Liu Duan of Zhongshan led his civil and military officials to escort Madame Xu far outside the city walls. The journey proceeded smoothly, and they returned to Yuyang several days later.
Two days passed, and on a very ordinary afternoon, Xiao Qiao was summoned over by Madame Xu, only to find Lady Zhu present as well.
Lady Zhu bore a smile upon her face, appearing exceptionally delighted. For such a long time, this was the first time Xiao Qiao had witnessed such an expression upon her countenance.
Upon the desk beside Madame Xu’s hand lay a roll of letter-silk. In a highly steady voice, she informed Xiao Qiao that her husband, Wei Shao, had captured Jinyang days ago; this campaign was a magnificent victory, and he would be returning before long.