The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

On that very day, Qiao Ping leaped into action.

He first consulted with his own retainers and reached an agreement. His retainers then went to secretly meet with some of the Qiao family’s generals and officials. The troops and horses of Yanzhou actually listened to Qiao Ping's dispatch, so without exception, every one of them consented.

Qiao Ping subsequently went alone to meet with Qiao Yue, raising the proposal to provide against a rainy day and strengthen Yanzhou's troops and horses.

Qiao Yue originally possessed no great interest in this matter. Qiao Ping spoke with him in detail for a long while, analyzing the current global situation for him.

Qiao Yue was born into a prestigious family of warlords, and in his youth, he had personally led troops into battle as well. He was not completely muddled and ignorant of the world's affairs; it was simply that his character was cowardly, causing him to just drift along and get by. While he was being coaxed by Qiao Ping and wavering back and forth, more than ten generals and officials poured into the hall. Dropping to their knees in unison, tears streaming down their faces, they forcefully remonstrated with one voice. Under the weight of the collective sentiment, Qiao Yue had no choice but to nod his head, entrusting the matter to Qiao Ping. Qiao Ping subsequently summoned the Qiao family's generals and officials to deliberate on military matters. The grand hall was brightly illuminated by candlelight, which remained unextinguished late into the night.

Her younger brother, Qiao Ci, had also gone to participate in the meeting. At this moment, he had not yet returned to rest.

Xiao Qiao lay upon her bed, the tides of her heart surging back and forth as well, unable to calm down for a long while.

She thought of the various matters of her past life within her memory, thought of Bi Zhi and Da Qiao in this life, and thought of how her father had finally begun to take action.

Since Madame Xu's destiny could be altered, then as long as the Qiao family took action, at the very least, it ought not to result in a conclusion of sitting around awaiting death in the future.

She increasingly felt that her trip back this time was exceedingly necessary.

Her father had finally validated her persuasion and taken action.

Xiao Qiao's mind was highly stimulated. She thought of this and thought of that, pondering a whole mountain of matters. It was not until late into the night that she gradually felt weary. Just before she grew dazed and was about to fall asleep, the countenance of a man suddenly leaped into her mind.

It seemed to be that face of Wei Shao... He apparently ought to be returning soon...

Xiao Qiao also recalled that on the morning she saw him off to war several months ago, she had promised Madame Xu that in the future, she would always see him off to war and welcome his return...

Now she was personally in Yanzhou; no matter how she rushed, she would be unable to rush back.

To break her word so quickly...

Xiao Qiao suddenly felt a sense of shame. Toward Madame Xu.

Next time. Starting from the next time, she would definitely achieve it. For the sake of Madame Xu...

She was truly deeply exhausted. The moment Xiao Qiao closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.

...

In the family letter Wei Shao sent to Madame Xu last time, he said he would return to Yuyang at the end of this month.

In reality, he arrived more than ten days early.

The triumphant grand army was still behind him, embarking on the return journey at a speed of one hundred li per day. The troops were split into two routes.

One route was led to Jinyang to pass the winter of this year. By the spring of next year, Wei Shao would personally go to Jinyang as well to converge with the grand army.

As for the other route, they accompanied him in returning to Youzhou.

However, when the grand army marched to Gaoyang, Wei Shao handed the daily military march over to his generals. Detaching himself from the main contingent, he led a small squad of light cavalry and returned to Yuyang ahead of time.

He arrived early.

On the day he reached Yuyang, snow had just begun to fall in the morning, and it was already the middle of the night. The fallen snow accumulated upon the ground, submerging the horses' hooves deeply.

The guards at the southern city gate heard the sound of pounding on the gate, and someone beneath the city gate shouted loudly, "The Marquis returns!"

The guards thought they had heard incorrectly.

Just during the daytime, the city gate colonel had also said that the triumphant grand army would arrive before the end of the month at the earliest, telling them to be constantly alert. Before the Marquis returned, absolutely no mishaps could occur within the city defenses.

Yet now, in the deep of the night on this day of heavy snow, someone was actually shouting outside the city gate that the Marquis had returned.

The guards rushed to the top of the city wall in a jumble to look down. By the light of the blazing torches, they saw more than ten warhorses halted upon the snow-covered ground outside the city gate. Every one of them was a tall and mighty Da Wan warhorse capable of traveling several hundred li a day. But at this moment, these warhorses appeared as if they had run until their strength was utterly spent, ceaselessly swishing their tails as heavy snorts rose and fell one after another.

Amidst the fluttering and scattering heavy snow, the guards looked toward the person seated upon the foremost horse.

He was clad in battle armor, and a layer of thin snow had accumulated atop his head and upon the shoulders of his battle robe.

He held his head slightly raised, and the guards saw that a layer of faint frost and snow had also fallen upon his twin sword-like eyebrows. Beneath his brows was a handsome and young face.

"The Marquis has returned!"

The guards shouted aloud in pleasant surprise, vying with one another to pour down the city wall.

A moment later, the two massive gates slowly opened to the left and right amidst a heavy creaking sound.

Carrying the frost, snow, and chilly air that filled his entire body, Wei Shao galloped through the city gate, repairing toward the Wei residence in the north of the city.

The gatekeepers were startled awake from their dreams by the pounding on the door. Opening the door, they were so exceedingly astonished that they forgot to bow, staring dumbfounded as the Marquis—who had been away on a distant campaign for several months without returning—strode inside covered in snow, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Wei Shao's return home did not disturb many servants. He also had no desire to wake his grandmother or startle his mother at this hour.

He repaired straight to the western quarters, pounding open the courtyard gate.

The gatekeeping old woman, who had just crawled out from her warm quilts, rubbed her eyes shakingly. Discerning clearly that it was the master who had returned, she opened her mouth. Before she even had time to speak the words that the mistress was not present at this time, the master had already stroded a long way inside, leaving a string of footprints he had trodden out upon the ground behind him.

Wei Shao went straight into the inner courtyard.

Within the courtyard, it was a blank, hazy expanse of white. The trees, pathways, steps, and roofs were all covered in a layer of white.

The surroundings were completely quiet. In the night sky, the snow was still falling silently and without a sound. A few flakes drifted and landed upon his brow and face, being rapidly melted away by his burning body temperature at this moment.

The weather was freezing and the earth was frozen. Yet Wei Shao did not feel cold. On the contrary, he felt hot at this moment.

Perhaps it was because the battle armor upon his body was too thick and heavy. He felt a burst of damp, hot sweat break out across his back.

His footsteps strode very quickly. He did not take note that the night-illuminating lanterns hanging every few steps along the roof of the corridor were all pitch-black at this moment.

Taking several steps in one, he ascended the steps, finally halting before the door. Raising his arm, he pushed the door gently as if testing it.

She had not barred the door.

The door opened in response to his hand.

The room was pitch-black with extinguished lamps. Nor was there any of the wafting warmth carrying a hint of fragrant scent that Wei Shao imagined ought to be there.

Wei Shao's footsteps hesitated slightly, yet he still continued to walk inside. Finally, he halted before the bed. His figure froze.

The snow-light outside the window was dim, but this was already sufficient to allow him to see the scene before him clearly.

The bed curtains were gathered to both sides, and neatly folded quilts and pillows were arranged upon the bed, yet there was no sign of her person.

It was completely empty.

Wei Shao's eyes widened a bit. Leaning down further, he stretched out his hand and felt the empty, ice-cold bedding. Only then did he fiercely straighten his torso, turning around to stride outward. His footsteps struck the ground heavily one after another. Reaching the doorway, he yanked the door open with a single pull, and the wind, wrapping around the snow, came pouring over.

"Where are the people? Where has everyone gone for me?!"

Facing the empty courtyard, he let out a great roar.

Very quickly, the lamps and fires within the western quarters became brightly illuminated.

Wei Shao lowered his head, removing his battle armor by himself. House Manager Lin said carefully from the side, "Reporting to the Master, the Mistress left more than a month ago. She said she was returning to Dongjun to visit her paternal aunt regarding her illness. At that time, it was the Old Madame who personally permitted it."

"Who escorted her?"

House Manager Lin answered him.

"Did she say when she would return?"

"This, this maidservant does not know."

"Where is Chunniang?"

Wei Shao scanned the circle of serving women and maidservants who had just been startled awake by that roar of his and were lined up before him.

"Chunniang also returned together with the Mistress," House Manager Lin said.

Wei Shao's eyebrows knit slightly. As if falling into a daze for a moment, he brushed his sleeve and said mini-malistically, "Prepare the bathwater."

House Manager Lin hurriedly complied. Using her eyes to signal the crowd to withdraw from the room to prepare to attend to the master's bathing, she herself withdrew last.

She had long since seen that the master, who had suddenly returned home from a distant campaign in the dead of night, was in a foul mood. She guessed it ought to be related to the mistress returning south. Therefore, regarding the matters that had occurred within the northern and eastern quarters some time ago, even if one lent her ten measures of courage at this moment, she would not dare mention them before the master.

...

Wei Shao emerged from the bathhouse. Without even putting on his inner garments, his upper torso bare, he threw himself backward heavily onto the bed.

The sturdy, fragrant-wood large bed was pressed by the force of his fall until it emitted a slight creaking sound.

Wei Shao closed his eyes, feeling a burst of deep loss and another burst of agitation.

He could remember with absolute clarity that on the night before he was to set out on the campaign this time, the moment she heard the news that he was leaving, her small face altered its expression on the spot. It was practically as if she were about to cry, plunging over to press him down, even shaking his shoulders and acting spoiled toward him, refusing to let him leave.

It resulted in him having slightly weak legs when he arose the next morning. He had almost wanted to change the commander on the eve of battle, letting them go wage the war on the distant campaign while he himself remained behind to watch over Youzhou.

Afterward, it was only Gongsun Yang's expression, which looked as though he were coughing until he was about to spit blood, that allowed him to narrowly keep his mouth shut.

The military strategist's old ailment had flared up recently, coughing so painfully, yet he still insisted on accompanying the army together.

He, a marquis with completely intact limbs, was unexpectedly unable to withstand a woman shaking his shoulders and letting out a few spoiled whines. If this were known by his generals and troops, where would his dignity reside in the future?

Therefore, when he returned on the second night, he decisively rejected her, nor did he look at her sorrowful and resentful gaze. It was only afterward, seeing her lying on the bed looking sullen and unhappy, that his heart softened for a moment. Leaning over, he wanted to console her a bit, yet she was great—turning her torso, she pulled up the quilt to cover her head, giving him the back of her head.

It was also this back of her head that made Wei Shao make up his mind. After a bout of mental struggle, he decided to let nature take its course and cease coaxing her.

He could no longer be led by the nose by this woman. If things continued like this, in the event that he committed a massive blunder one day...

King You of Zhou lit the beacon fires to play with the feudal lords, solely to win a smile from a beautiful woman. Such an absurd drama had almost occurred upon his own person.

Thinking on it was entirely inconceivable!

Therefore, over the ensuing three or two days, the two of them passed the time neither cold nor hot.

He did not touch her. Truly, he did not touch her with even a single finger.

Then it was his setting out on the campaign.

Rolling around within mounds of corpses for another few months.

Now he had returned.

The woman who had originally begged him to stay and almost caused him to commit a blunder was unexpectedly no longer here? Returned to the Qiao family of Dongjun?

For a single instant, an evil thought emerged within Wei Shao's brain, wishing he could immediately go destroy that damned Qiao family.

Letting her return again!