The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

(The Past Life)

In Wei Shao’s expectations, the campaign against Yong was originally supposed to be a minor affair. Compared to the countless battles, large and small, that he had personally commanded since the age of seventeen, this objective should have been smooth sailing.

He estimated that the campaign would conclude within three months at most.

He had not anticipated that after winning the first two minor skirmishes, and just as the late Emperor Liu Yan was forced to retreat from the capital of Yong and flee westward toward Fufeng, an exceptionally capable and battle-hardened grand general would suddenly emerge from beneath the enemy's banners. This man was of a similar age to him and was born with rare green irises. Originally, he had merely been a leader of displaced vagrants in the south, and though Wei Shao had heard of him before, he had not given the man a second thought at the time. His plan had been to conquer the capital of Yong first, then sweep his banners southward to thoroughly clean up the remnants of such vagrant factions.

Yet it was precisely this green-eyed man, invested as the King of Huaiyin by Liu Yan, who dealt a massive obstruction to his campaign against Yong. Following this setback, a severe winter descended, making it difficult for his soldiers to survive the season. After careful consideration, Wei Shao decided to temporarily withdraw his troops and return to Luoyang first, intending to resume the conquest once the spring warmth returned.

Upon his return to Luoyang, he learned that the Qiao girl had committed suicide by swallowing gold on the very day after his departure from the capital.

Although this news arrived somewhat abruptly, to tell the truth, he was not particularly surprised. Given the Qiao girl’s previous half-dead state, suicide was by no means impossible.

It was even more impossible for him to feel any grief over the report of her death.

What did catch him by surprise was that Su Ehuang had already made the decision in his stead to inter the Qiao girl outside the Wei family ancestral burial grounds.

This left Wei Shao feeling displeased. It was not out of any pity for the Qiao girl; had he made the decision himself, he might not have allowed her to share a burial chamber with him either.

But regardless of everything else, the Qiao girl was the principal wife his grandmother had brought into his doors for him. Now that she was dead, Su Ehuang had presumptuously made this significant decision without his consent. This gave him an unpleasant sensation of being offended—not only an offense to himself, but also to his grandmother who had passed away many years ago.

Su Ehuang must have detected his displeasure. That night upon the imperial bed, she exerted every ounce of her ability to serve him.

Wei Shao had not touched a woman for several months and initially had a need for release. Yet tonight, perhaps because the previous campaign had not gone smoothly, or perhaps because the displeasure in his heart was at work, Su Ehuang’s provocations failed to stir his passions. Feeling rather disinclined, he stopped her when she attempted to please him with her mouth, questioning her about taking it upon herself to bury the Qiao girl outside the family grounds.

Su Ehuang was thoroughly terrified. She immediately scrambled off the couch, kneeling naked upon the floor as she begged for his forgiveness.

She stated that an affair of this nature ought to have been left for His Majesty to handle upon his return. However, before His Majesty set out for Yong, he had entrusted the matters of the inner palace to her. The Qiao girl was originally the daughter of their mortal enemies, and choosing to swallow gold on the day after His Majesty left on campaign was highly inauspicious, reflecting even more sinister intentions. At the time, she had been overly indignant, so without thinking further, she had ordered the burial to proceed. Reflecting upon it carefully now, her heart was also filled with regret. If she had enraged His Majesty and His Majesty deemed it improper, she begged that the Qiao girl’s grave be exhumed for a proper burial elsewhere, and she was entirely willing to accept whatever punishment His Majesty saw fit to hand down.

Su Ehuang’s explanation sounded flawless, reasonable, and fair. As she finished speaking, tears streamed down her face.

Gazing at Su Ehuang weeping at his feet, a trace of irritation—and even aversion—welled up within Wei Shao’s heart. In the end, however, he said nothing and fell into silence.

Slowly wiping away her tears, Su Ehuang crawled back to his side on her knees. Lowering her head, she slowly pressed herself against the root of his thigh.

...

"We can grant your wish and invest you as Empress."

After the matter concluded, Wei Shao spoke with his eyes closed to Su Ehuang, who remained nestled beside him.

"Goguryeo has recently offered a new tributary princess, and today the Grand Chancellor also submitted a memorial stating that We ought to expand the inner palace. Aside from the Goguryeo princess, there are eight other women, all offered by various regions as tributary gifts for peace."

"We have accepted them."

He added immediately after, his voice entirely calm.

...

Of all these past events that transpired after the death of the Qiao family's younger daughter in her previous life, the current Xiao Qiao was naturally unaware.

She was equally unaware that eight years later in that past life, the founding emperor Wei Shao—having thoroughly unified the entire realm, driven the Xiongnu royal court backward, and incorporated thousands of li of vast wild lands into the territory of the Great Yan—was right at the height of his soaring ambitions and grand passions, preparing to raise troops once more to conquer the Western Regions, when the Baling barbarians of the south rose in rebellion under that very same green-eyed man, the only opponent on the battlefield he could consider a true match in his entire life. Only then did the Emperor learn that the green-eyed man had actually survived back then. In a towering rage, he disregarded all remonstrances and personally led his forces south to suppress the rebellion.

In a battle at a place called Guixiang, the Emperor met an unexpected death from a stray arrow that seemed to descend from the heavens.

He passed away at the age of thirty-nine.

With Wei Shao's sudden demise in the prime of his life, the Great Yan Empire, which had existed for barely eight years, vanished like smoke. The Xiongnu swept back, the lands of the Central Plains fractured once more, regional magnates carved up territories for themselves again, and the populace was plunged back into the bitter suffering of warfare. The situation regressed precisely to how it had been a decade prior.

...

Seeing Madame Xu look toward her after she finished speaking, Xiao Qiao revealed a delighted smile.

"This is wonderful. I look forward to Husband's early return home," she said.

Madame Xu nodded with a smile.

Gazing at Xiao Qiao, the expression upon Lady Zhu’s face, which had been full of smiles moments ago, slowly stiffened once more.

Such a simple sentence from Xiao Qiao had once again struck that sensitive nerve deep within Lady Zhu’s heart.

When the Qiao girl had first arrived at the Wei estate, she had assumed her son would loathe her just as intensely as she did. She had never expected that her son would not only share a bed with her, but also appeared to protect her quite a bit.

She was Wei Shao’s mother; she had conceived and raised this son. Although there were many aspects of him that she could not see through or understand, she, as his mother, could still tell whether or not her son favored a particular thing.

Her son had successfully taken Jinyang and would return home shortly, which was naturally an immensely good thing. However, the thought of her son’s return inevitably meant giving this Qiao girl another opportunity to exploit. Even if her son was merely infatuated by her beauty and treated her as nothing more than a plaything, it still felt as though a drill were continuously boring into her heart.

In truth, as far as Lady Zhu was concerned, aside from her niece Zheng Shu, no other woman in this world possessed the qualifications to be her son’s wife.

Aside from Zheng Shu, any other woman was merely trying to snatch her son away from her.

To say nothing of the fact that this Qiao girl originated from their mortal enemies, the Qiao family.

She stared somewhat blankly at Xiao Qiao’s smiling face with a slightly sharp gaze.

"I have received another piece of news here," Madame Xu smiled again. "Your maternal family will be sending people over in a few days, and your brother is among them."

...

Xue Tai’s retreat from the battlefield allowed Yanzhou to fortunately escape disaster once more. Zhang Pu and the others then advised Qiao Yue to seize this opportunity to dispatch envoys to Yuyang—first to express gratitude, and second to take the chance to bring the two families closer. Qiao Yue agreed. He immediately selected the envoys. Upon hearing the news, Qiao Ci requested to go along. Qiao Ping knew his son must be missing Xiao Qiao; considering his daughter had already married into the Wei family, no matter how unwilling he had been in the past, the matter was settled after all. Furthermore, regarding this crisis in Yanzhou, Wei Shao had indeed exerted great effort. If they truly could use this opportunity to repair their relations, it could be considered a stroke of hidden luck arising from a disaster. Therefore, he did not obstruct him, only instructing his son with many words before his departure.

Qiao Ci gave his full assent, and when the day of departure arrived, he set out along with the envoy party, bringing lavish gifts, and was currently on the road to Yuyang.

...

Her younger brother Qiao Ci was actually coming here to see her!

This news filled Xiao Qiao with immense joy.

She had been in the North for nearly half a year and missed her family dearly. Deep within her heart, she also worried about Da Qiao and Bi Zhi, whose current whereabouts remained unknown. When she had sent them off, Da Qiao had promised that if they settled down in the future and an opportunity arose, she would send word to her.

She had been waiting for their letter all this time.

Moreover, she now had some other matters she wished to convey to her father. Originally, she would have written a letter, but now that her brother was coming, she could hand the letter to him to bring back.

...

This unexpected good news dispelled the tiny shadow left in Xiao Qiao's heart from her trip to Zhongshan. She wished for the days to pass more quickly so she could see her brother Qiao Ci sooner.

Half a month later, before Qiao Ci’s party could arrive, Wei Shao returned first.

...

The victory at Jinyang allowed Wei Shao's military strength to experience a rapid surge. His army expanded to three hundred thousand troops; aside from the one hundred thousand left behind to garrison Jinyang, the remainder were stationed respectively at Fanyang and Xindu, with another one hundred thousand accompanying him back to Yuyang.

On that day, the city of Yuyang resembled a festival. The city gates were thrown wide open, and the populace lined the streets to welcome the return of their Lord.

The main force of Wei Shao's army remained in the camps outside the four gates; he led only a personal guard of two thousand men into the city. The personal guards all wore bright, gleaming armor and marched with uniform strides. As they entered through the city gates, the populace was exceedingly excited, and shouts of "The Lord returns!" and "Victory in every battle!" rose and fell in waves, reaching clearly even into the high walls of the Wei estate where Xiao Qiao was.

Madame Xu and Lady Zhu had already arrived at the main entrance early to receive him.

Xiao Qiao stood quietly behind Lady Zhu, her eyes cast toward the wide approach road outside the main gate.

Gradually, she saw the figures of a line of horsemen finally appear in the distance.

The figures grew clearer and clearer.

The man at the very front was Wei Shao, who had been away on campaign for a full four months.

Madame Xu could finally no longer contain her delight either; unable to help herself, she walked forward with brisk steps, descending the dais.

Catching sight of his grandmother, Wei Shao hastily urged his horse forward. Before even drawing near, he flipped himself down from the horse's back, taking several large strides forward until he reached her, kneeling on one knee before Madame Xu as he said, "Your grandson has fortunately not failed Grandmother's expectations and returns victorious today! I have caused Grandmother to worry!"

Madame Xu hastily helped him up from the ground.

Li Dian, Wei Liang, and the others who accompanied Wei Shao also arrived, dismounting one after another and stepping forward to pay their respects and express their gratitude to Madame Xu.

Madame Xu laughed heartily and said, "It is I who ought to thank you loyal ministers and brave generals on behalf of my late husband! Were it not for everyone's support, how could our Youzhou achieve its grand prosperity of today by relying solely on the members of my Wei family? I have already prepared a victory banquet for the soldiers and lads; today, open your hearts completely, and do not return until you are drunk!"

The crowd roared their approval and laughed uproariously; the front of the Wei estate was filled with heroic spirit and a joyous atmosphere.

Wei Shao was pulled aside by Lady Zhu, who questioned him with concern. He offered a few responses, his gaze passing over the top of Lady Zhu's head to look at Xiao Qiao, who stood behind her.

Seeing him look her way, Xiao Qiao offered him a faint smile.

...

Wei Shao was still clad in his battle armor. Furthermore, having been out commanding troops and rolling among crowds of men for four months, it was inevitable that he had neglected his grooming. The first matter upon returning to the estate was to wash and change his garments.

The female servants and maids of the western chambers were all lined up at the entrance to welcome him. As Wei Shao entered, everyone followed inside to serve.

While in front of Madame Xu and Lady Zhu moments ago, things had been fine. Yet the moment he stepped into the room, Wei Shao's gaze fixed directly onto Xiao Qiao's face.

Being stared at intently by him like this, Xiao Qiao inevitably felt a trace of awkwardness. Moreover, the two of them had only been married for barely half a year, and the time they spent together did not even amount to half the time they spent apart.

They had only just begun to grow slightly familiar with one another when several months suddenly passed in the interim. Now that he was suddenly standing right before her again, looking rough with scruffy stubble, Xiao Qiao could not help but experience a slight sense of unfamiliarity once more.

However, since he chose to look at her like this, it was improper for her to tell him to stop, so she could only lower her head slightly, keeping her eyes fixed levelly upon his chest as she lifted her hands to help him unfasten his armor.

"All of you, out," Wei Shao suddenly commanded.

Nanny Chun and the maidservants in the room exchanged glances, immediately setting down the work in their hands and filing out one after another.

Nanny Chun was the last to leave. As she pulled the door shut, she cast a glance at Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao understood the meaning within Nanny Chun’s gaze; she was telling her to properly coax the newly returned Lord and make him happy.

Xiao Qiao suddenly grew flustered, yet it was improper to speak up and ask Nanny Chun to stay. She could only watch blankly as Nanny Chun vanished behind the door, and the door was shut.

Xiao Qiao's expression unconsciously turned more solemn, and she continued to unfasten his battle armor with meticulous precision.

A clasp at his waist appeared to be somewhat jammed, and no matter how she manipulated it, she could not open it.

Her hands kept working at his waistband, yet it simply refused to unfasten. Out of options, and sensing that he was continuously staring at her, Xiao Qiao grew even more nervous. Furthermore, the season had already entered summer and the weather was growing warm, causing tiny beads of sweat to form even on the tip of her nose. Left with no choice, she was just about to look up to ask for his help when her hand grew heavy; one of his hands pressed down, completely enveloping hers within his palm.

"Did you miss me during this past period?"

A wave of heat brushed against Xiao Qiao's ear.

Wei Shao had lowered his head, pressing close to question her in a whisper while gently squeezing her hand.

Because he wielded swords and blades year-round, his palm was somewhat rough and calloused, rubbing against her soft, bone-free hand. An atmosphere of intimacy arose naturally.

Xiao Qiao felt her cheeks begin to burn as well.

Wei Shao was teasing her. This was something that even someone as slow to perceive such matters as she could detect.

She hesitated for a brief moment, finally lifting her eyes to gaze at him as she said softly, "There are many people waiting for you outside! It is better to let Nanny Chun and the others come back in, so we can quickly serve you to wash and change together—"

"Did you miss me? Hmm?" he repeated, cutting off her words. Suddenly increasing his strength, he gave her hand a heavy squeeze, the force even causing her a bit of pain. His face pressed even closer, their cheeks suddenly rubbing together. He appeared to do it deliberately; she could clearly feel the prickle of his stubble against her skin, bringing a sensation that was painful, numbing, and itchy all at once.