The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Wei Shao's desire came both fast and sharp. To Xiao Qiao, it felt completely unexpected, catching her off guard. Just an instant before she turned around, his demeanor had still seemed composed and restrained.

Yet he had suddenly claimed her like this, right on the day couch within his study in the rear hall of the government office.

This was certainly not Xiao Qiao's purpose when she entered the government office under the cover of night to bring him food.

After learning about what had happened over the past few days and seeing Wei Shao's fatigued appearance upon his return this evening, her heart truly empathized with him—even without that piece of advice from Grandmother. She had even developed a sense of tenderness for him.

Moreover, his grandmother was genuinely wonderful. After learning of that matter, given her position, she had ample reason to loathe her. Yet no matter what Grandmother truly thought of her in her heart, her countenance toward her on the surface remained no different from before.

Encountering such a grandmother, even if it were merely out of gratitude for her tolerance, Xiao Qiao felt she should do something.

Thus, she had very considerately served her grandson as he bathed and dressed. Seeing that he had still not returned so late, she felt somewhat concerned and could not resist coming over to bring him a late-night snack.

It was merely that and nothing more.

Xiao Qiao initially offered a mild resistance. After all, this was by no means a proper place to engage in such matters. But he was like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long duration before suddenly erupting, rendering her utterly unable to refuse.

The moment he arrived within her tight, soft, and warm sanctuary of tenderness, he closed his eyes and let out a long, deep exhale.

The couch stood a foot above the ground. This height was exactly enough to allow him to rest on one knee before her, propping her tender legs high upon his shoulders. Every single impact from him drove her forward by several inches, leaving her feeling as if her frame were being utterly dismantled. She bit her teeth to endure it, her fingernails already scratching his arms and leaving faint, thin welts. Toward the end, her two lotus arms lost even the strength to grip him. Her entire soul was scattered by his battering, her consciousness drifting, her body trembling wildly, and low, quivering weeping sounds involuntarily escaped her throat.

She remembered that she was initially upon the couch. Later, as her consciousness grew hazy, she felt him seemingly raise his hand to sweep the silk scrolls and bamboo slips off the large desk, placing her upon it. Later still, she was turned and carried back to the couch by him, pressed beneath him as he claimed her tirelessly.

Previously when the two of them engaged in this matter, he would occasionally whisper intimate words that made her face burn and ears redden whenever his passion was aroused.

Tonight, however, he did not utter a single word. He merely buried his head and claimed her, claiming her without pause.

Within the tightly closed doors and windows of this secluded courtyard in the rear hall of the autumn government office, the ragged, heavy groans of the master of this place and the sobbing sounds of his woman faintly drifted out in fits and starts.

After a frantic burst of skin hitting skin, Wei Shao panted like an ox, then rolled off her body, remaining motionless.

The two of them lay side by side, stretched across the middle of the wide couch.

Xiao Qiao curled her body, resting close to his side. Her heart still thumped like a rolling drum. There was not a single spot upon her chest and snowy back that was not drenched in moisture. She did not know whether it was the sweat she herself had secreted, or if it came from him.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, waiting until her heartbeat slowly quieted a little. Gently raising a lotus arm, she rested it upon one of his arms and said in a low voice, "Regarding the matter of your cousin-brother these past few days, I know everything. Grandmother told me. She is also somewhat worried about you..."

Wei Shao did not respond; instead, snoring sounds traveled into her ears.

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes and saw that he had closed his eyes, already fast asleep.

A streak of glistening sweat, seemingly still carrying his scorching body temperature, rolled down from his forehead along his handsome, straight nose.

In his sleep, his expression appeared to have finally relaxed, looking exceptionally peaceful.

Xiao Qiao looked at him, then slowly uncurled her body and sat up with some effort. After staring blankly for a moment, she retrieved her own garments from the heap of disorganized, fallen clothing, putting them back on piece by piece. When she stepped off the couch, her legs were a bit soft, and she nearly failed to stand firmly. Only after pausing for a brief moment did she steady her feet.

Finally, Xiao Qiao took one of his outer garments and draped it over his body. Blowing out the lamp, she lifted the food box and opened the door. Steadying her mind, she dragged her aching, soft waist and legs, slowly walking out.

Nanny Chun and Nanny Lin were still waiting for her outside the gate of the government office. Having waited for so long, Nanny Chun hastily went up to welcome her upon seeing her come out. Casting a glance behind her and failing to see Wei Shao, she asked about the Lord.

Xiao Qiao smiled slightly: "His business is still heavy. After he ate the food and we spoke a couple of phrases, he said he would stay a while longer to finish handling the official matters. He told me to return first."

Nanny Chun harbored no suspicions. Taking the food box from Xiao Qiao's hand, she and Nanny Lin supported her onto the carriage. Nanny Lin smiled and said, "The Lord has always possessed this kind of temperament; he is extremely dedicated when doing matters."

Xiao Qiao merely smiled without speaking. They returned to the estate in silence along the way. Entering the western rooms, she told Nanny Chun and the others to each go and rest, no longer needing them to serve. She entered her chamber alone. As soon as the door closed, the smile that had been worn upon her face just now disappeared, revealing a look of fatigue. Dragging her legs, she sat by the bedside and was lost in thought for a brief moment. Feeling her entire body sticky and rather uncomfortable, she rose and went to the bathhouse to clumsily wipe herself down. Exhausted, she crawled onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and closed her eyes.

She only wished to fall asleep quickly. After a night's sleep, when she woke up tomorrow, she might very well forget what had just happened in that study at the government office.

This kind of feeling was simply too wretched.

She could actually understand his emotions.

A brotherhood of twenty years had not only suddenly dissolved like this, but had even turned into an adversarial relationship. What was even more awkward was that an intimate, shameful matter involving his own wife was sandwiched in the middle.

No matter who it was, one would be unable to calmly accept it all at once.

Xiao Qiao was also willing to understand the behavior he had just directed at her, which bordered on pure venting.

But at this moment, she truly had no way to control her own terrible mood.

Closing her eyes, she tried her absolute best to think of Da Qiao and Bi Zhi within her mind. She thought of her younger brother taking that letter of hers back, and how her father would react after reading it. She thought of finding an opportunity—she must personally return to Dongjun once.

Finally, she suddenly thought of Madame Xu, who had been bedridden with illness these past two days.

...

She had married into the Wei family in the winter of last year, and right now it was already the autumn of the second year.

Xiao Qiao recalled that meeting between her past-life self and Da Qiao.

That was the sole meeting between the two sisters after their respective marriages. At that time, Wei Shao had not yet claimed the imperial title, but his power was already unstoppable. At that time, Xiao Qiao's past-life husband, Liu Yan, had not yet been enthroned as the later emperor either, so he and Wei Shao were not considered adversaries. Wei Shao was in another place at that time, and Da Qiao was left alone in Yuyang. Therefore, through every possible means, Xiao Qiao had finally managed to arrive in Yuyang, meeting with Da Qiao for what was also the final time in their past lives.

What the two sisters had spoken of at that time was something the current Xiao Qiao could no longer completely recall in its entirety. She only remembered Da Qiao mentioning Lady Su, saying that Lady Su was accompanying Wei Shao in another city at that time, which was why she was not in Yuyang.

When speaking of this, Da Qiao's expression had been peaceful and without a ripple.

Then she had mentioned another line, saying that the following day was the death anniversary of the Wei family grandmother, Madame Xu, who had passed away many years prior. In past years, if Wei Shao were in Yuyang, he would always personally go to the mausoleum to pay his respects.

Madame Xu had treated her well. Regrettably, in the winter of the first year after she married into the Wei family, the old lady had passed away in a hurry.

Speaking of this, Da Qiao's expression at that time had been full of reminiscence.

Xiao Qiao closed her eyes and exerted herself to reminisce, finally managing to recall a little bit of it.

She remembered that Da Qiao seemed to have also said at that time that Madame Xu had caught a bout of wind-cold during the autumn of that year. It was originally thought to be of no consequence; physicians were summoned and medicine was taken in a timely manner, and the illness had also begun to slowly improve. Yet unexpectedly, it subsequently took a turn for the worse, and in the end, it actually proved incurable, resulting in her death.

At that time, Wei Shao was away campaigns. Upon learning the disastrous news, although he immediately rushed back, because the distance was remote and the delivery of the message was delayed, he only managed to rush back to Yuyang to launch the funeral affairs a full two months later.

After that matter, Wei Shao's loathing toward Da Qiao became even more pronounced, blaming her for failing to fulfill her responsibility as a junior to care for her senior.

It was also after that that Lady Su gradually caught his eye. Subsequently, in the third year after Madame Xu's passing, he took her as a concubine, having her accompany and attend to him from then on. She was quite favored.

...

In the darkness, Xiao Qiao could no longer sleep.

Because of the swapped marriages between herself and Da Qiao in this life, the trajectory of the past life had already ceased to be completely identical from the very day of their marriages.

But Xiao Qiao always felt that in the grand scheme of things, there were always some matters that, how they were in the past life, might still be how they would be in this life.

For instance, Wei Shao's hatred toward the Qiao family. For instance, that bit of history between Wei Shao and Lady Su.

And for instance, the fate concerning this elderly woman, Madame Xu.

Counting the days, it appeared to be roughly around the same time frame as the period Da Qiao had spoken of when Madame Xu met with disaster.

And what was even more coincidental was that Madame Xu happened to be bedridden with illness right now.

Although Da Qiao in the past life had said Madame Xu was bedridden because she caught a bout of wind-cold, and the cause of illness was different now.

But falling ill was the exact same occurrence.

A different cause, yet the same effect.

Could it be that in this life, Madame Xu would also be unable to escape her destined tribulation, passing away just like this?

Xiao Qiao felt a burst of panic, her heart thumping wildly. She was even less able to sleep.

As she brooded over her thoughts, she gradually forgot about Wei Shao, who was still in the government office. She kept tossing and turning, and it was only until past the fourth watch that she fuzzily drifted off to sleep.

...

After an exceptionally delightful and thorough burst of intense, overwhelming pleasure, Wei Shao slept a deep and heavy sleep.

He was truly too tired. During those three days prior, he had barely closed his eyes.

Not just his body—the anxiety and pain he experienced were also somewhat similar to the time of the disastrous news of his father and elder brother ten years ago.

Wei Yan's final decision caused him immense disappointment, and also immense hatred. For a time, he had even generated the thought that he would rather kill him than willingly release him to return to the Xiongnu.

It was not that he feared the Xiongnu would thereby gain an enemy who was familiar with the Wei family's military situation and border defense preparations. He could overcome all of these; it would merely mean paying a somewhat greater price, that was all. He could afford to pay it...

He was simply unable to accept from the depths of his heart that his kinsman would actually just abandon everything here like this, standing on the side that was adversarial to himself.

But in the end, Wei Shao still persuaded himself to release him to depart.

What persuaded him was perhaps that phrase from Wei Yan's mouth: "The unfairness of creation."

Admittedly, his elder brother possessed talents that were not inferior to his own, and further possessed a vibrant ambition identical to his own.

Since he himself could not manage to hand over everything here, what right did he have to block him from stepping onto that alternative path he yearned for?

How it would be in the future, let each return to heavenly mandate. Just like this final phrase he spoke when escorting him, this was probably the final destiny of their brotherhood.

He woke up during the early morning at the fourth watch.

Outside the window, the sky was still dark. The new candle that had been lit during the first half of the night within the study was also about to burn out, its flame gradually dimming down.

He slowly sat up from the couch. Lowering his head, he saw an outer garment draped over his naked body sliding down along his shoulder.

Wei Shao raised his hand to rub his forehead, surveying his surroundings in a slightly bewildered manner. Finally, his gaze fixed onto those silk scrolls and bamboo slips carrying military, political, and civil affairs that had been disorganized and swept onto the ground. Within his countenance, a trace of an almost incredulous, peculiar look slowly revealed.

Within his mind, everything that had transpired during the first half of the night leapt forth.