The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Early the next morning, the snow cleared and the weather turned fine. The sun slowly revealed half its face from behind the cloud layers.

Yuyang had recently been constantly weighed down by gloomy mists and clouds, and it had been many days since the sun last appeared.

The citizens in the city rejoiced over this long-awaited fine winter weather, beginning their busy yet ordinary daily lives as usual. They did not know that the young marquis whom they had always respected and revered had already returned to the city amidst the heavy snow in the deep of the night.

They had even less of a way to imagine what would await the marquis after he passed a long, cold night with a solitary pillow.

The sun rose higher, and by the time it was nearly the hour of si, a trail of black smoke suddenly rose from the summit of Mount Yu to the northwest outside the walled city.

This black smoke was at first merely the shape of a columnar plume, but it very quickly transformed into giant, billowing billows of thick smoke. The thick smoke shot into the sky, almost enveloping the entire mountaintop, and flames could be faintly seen flashing and leaping within it.

Passersby on the roads within the city were the first to see it. They stopped their footsteps in astonishment, gazing into the distance.

Next, more people learned of it, pouring out from their houses one after another to watch, whispering and speculating continuously. Some climbed onto millstones, some clambered onto rooftops, and even more busybodies called upon their friends and companions to exit the city, not begrudging the long road as they personally rushed toward Mount Yu, wanting to see what was actually happening.

Everyone knew that there was a Grand Shaman Temple at the summit of Mount Yu.

The Grand Shaman was highly famous. On ordinary days, aside from divining good and bad fortune for those who sought it, he could also dispel disasters, avert diseases, set up altars to summon gods, and even communicate with the spirits of the dead and call for wind and rain.

Although no one had ever personally witnessed the Grand Shaman calling for wind and rain, that was merely because their sincerity was insufficient to summon down the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning, not because the Grand Shaman lacked efficacy.

Aside from this, the citizens in the city also rumored that the Grand Shaman could secretly inflict curses upon people using shamanistic incantations.

Furthermore, the most mysterious thing was that the Wei residence's matriarch, Lady Zhu, also devoutly believed in the Grand Shaman. People often saw her figure entering and exiting the shaman temple.

Therefore, the ordinary citizens harbored a type of worship mixed with dread and fear toward the Grand Shaman of Mount Yu.

They had never expected that early in the morning, such intense, sky-high flames and smoke would actually spew from the mountaintop of Mount Yu, where the shaman temple was located.

Before midday, the news spread thoroughly.

The marquis had returned to the city last night. Early this morning, he led men up Mount Yu and personally set this fire, burning that magnificent shaman temple—which had been constructed with three successive tiers of halls—completely to ashes.

...

Wei Shao stood upon the open ground at the summit of Mount Yu, his twin pupils reflecting the giant, blazing flames of the roaring fire opposite him, his expression somber and gloomy.

The indignation currently reverberating within his breast, which made even his blood feel as though it were about to boil over, could not be thoroughly vented even if he set ten more such great fires.

The mountain wind howled, and in such cold weather, the Yuyang Magistrate stood by his side, the skin of his face gradually being scorched dry by the oncoming heat of the great fire, making him feel highly uncomfortable.

Yet he did not dare retreat even half a step.

The marquis's anger could already be described as extraordinary. He, too, profoundly felt this point.

The roof of the grand temple finally collapsed downward.

With a thunderous roar, after the flames were briefly suppressed, they again resembled a flame dragon that had broken free from its shackles, enveloping countless sparks and embers as they surged upward once more.

The Yuyang Magistrate saw the marquis finally turn around and stride down the mountain, so he rubbed his face, which was a bit dry and painful from the heat of the fire, and hurriedly trailed behind him.

...

Lady Zhu had been having nightmares almost every single day during this period of time.

Even when she was awake, the moment she closed her eyes, she felt as though she were being deeply entangled by that thick resentment coming from Nanny Jiang, her heart leaping and her skin crawling, just like a nightmare.

On the night the incident occurred, she continuously demanded that Nanny Jiang be brought over so she could question that wicked woman who dared falsely accuse her to her face.

Toward Nanny Jiang, she had believed implicitly for many years, relying heavily on her in every matter. Back then, she had even bestowed kindness upon her.

She still remembered it with absolute clarity even now. Thirty years ago, at that time, she was still merely the daughter of the Zhuo Commandery's Postal Inspector. Nanny Jiang was a few years older than her, in her twenties, carrying a three-year-old son, and was a widow. She did odd jobs in the Zhu household.

One day, a homicide occurred in the Zhu household. Nanny Jiang, by a slip of her hand using scissors, stabbed to death a male servant who attempted to force himself upon her.

Lady Zhu's parents wanted to deliver her to the officials. Nanny Jiang ran to implore Lady Zhu. Lady Zhu felt she was very pitiful, and her heart softened. She obstructed her parents, demanding Nanny Jiang be placed at her side.

From then on, Nanny Jiang was deeply grateful to Lady Zhu, submissive and obedient in every way. Subsequently, Lady Zhu married into the Wei family through a stroke of fortune, and she brought along Nanny Jiang, who had always won her favor. Over many years, Nanny Jiang was thoroughly loyal, shedding her heart's blood for her, and Lady Zhu trusted her completely, almost to the point of following her every word.

She could not imagine by any means why Nanny Jiang, this wicked woman, would be so completely wolf-hearted and dog-lunged, ultimately turning around to frame her in such a manner!

Under her hoarse and exhausted demands for a confrontation, Nanny Jiang was finally delivered before her.

The moment Lady Zhu saw that familiar face, she was instantly so angry she could not contain herself, slapping her fiercely, tearing at her hair, and using the most vicious words she could think of to curse her. Finally, the palms of her hands grew numb with pain, and she was so furious she almost fainted. While she sat there panting heavily, Nanny Jiang, who had remained entirely speechless from beginning to end, suddenly revealed a sliver of a smile upon her face that Lady Zhu could not understand.

She leaned over, pressing close to Lady Zhu's ear, and said, "Madam, do you still remember twenty years ago, my poor son—how did he die?"

Nanny Jiang used to have a son. But Lady Zhu had forgotten long ago. Suddenly hearing Nanny Jiang mention it beside her ear, she was stunned for a moment, and finally recalled it. Vaguely, she remembered that it seemed to be a handsome youth, looking like a girl, exceedingly beautiful.

Lady Zhu stared fixedly at Nanny Jiang before her.

A smile was carried upon her bruised and swollen face, yet her gaze was completely filled with venomous resentment. It was a completely unfamiliar countenance.

Lady Zhu felt as though she could no longer recognize her.

"Madam, at that time you had already become the Madam of the Wei family. Your status was noble. One day your brother drank wine, and he forcibly dragged away my son. He was only thirteen years old! By the time I saw him, his lower body was entirely covered in blood! Wet blood that kept flowing without stopping. My son lay upon the bed, breathing his last. He called me mother, telling me he was in great pain, imploring me to save his life. But the blood could not be stopped. The physician had no way to save him either, abandoning him and leaving! I just watched with open eyes as he struggled in agony upon the bed for three days, finally dying right beneath my eyelids."

"What did you do, Madam? You have undoubtedly forgotten it long ago, right?"

Nanny Jiang's voice continued to drift beside Lady Zhu's ear.

"I told you. You feared the matter would cause a stir and damage your face, so acting as if nothing had happened, you suppressed the matter. You sent your brother away, allowing him to continue living a carefree life, and you gave me silk money, instructing me that I must not speak of the matter. Having no alternative, I could only endure it."

"But my heart harbored hatred. My son—when he died, he was only thirteen years old! Madam, because you lost your son, you harbor hatred for the Qiao girl into your very bones. My son—could it be that he was not flesh that fell from my own body?"

"Madam, at this moment you understand why I wanted to do this to you, right? You may completely speak out what I just told you to defend yourself. But even if you defend yourself, what can come of it? Madame Xu almost lost her life at your hands. Even if you continue to live on for the rest of your life, before your son, you will be nothing more than a mother completely devoid of dignity! You brought this upon yourself; you cannot blame me..."

Lady Zhu swooned on the spot. By the time she woke up, she heard the news that Nanny Jiang had already taken her own life by striking the wall before her. Only a pool of dark purple blood remained upon the floor.

The serving women guarding her said privately that Nanny Jiang had been forced to take her own life by the Madam.

So many days had already passed since the incident, and the floor had also been washed. Yet that pool of bloodstain seemed to have been swallowed into the ground, still appearing so shocking to the eye.

In the past, Lady Zhu had frequently used falling ill as an excuse, wanting to keep her son at her side more.

Now she had truly fallen ill. And she had finally awaited her son's return.

It had snowed heavily last night, and the weather cleared this morning. At midday, while she was spacing out alone in her room, she heard a flurry of heavy footsteps striking the ground from outside.

That was the sound of her son Wei Shao's footsteps. She could recognize it the moment she heard it.

He had finally returned home! Yet his mother, at the time he left home, had been framed by someone and suffered such grievances!

The strength that had originally drained from her body seemed to be slowly injected back. Lady Zhu struggled to stand up, wanting to go out to welcome him. She had only walked two steps when the door gave a bang, being thrown open almost by a force of crude violence.

Lady Zhu saw her son Wei Shao's figure appear at the doorway.

He did not enter, standing just outside the threshold, watching her with a cold and unfamiliar gaze.

Lady Zhu was slightly taken aback. Meeting her son's gaze for a moment, her lips slowly began to tremble, and she said in a shaking voice, "Shao'er... you have returned... you must never believe what they say! I was framed by Nanny Jiang! She hates me! She was bought off by someone, which was why she framed me! These past days, I have thought about it back and forth, and there is only the Qiao girl... After the Qiao girl entered the gate, I wanted you to take Chu Yu as a concubine. She did not say it on her face, but her heart must hate me..."

The muscle at the corner of Wei Shao's eye twitched slightly. He took a step backward, and two people were thrown inside, crashing and rolling onto the floor.

One was the Grand Shaman of Mount Yu, and the other was Zheng Shu. Both of them had disheveled hair, their appearances wretched to the extreme.

"Aunt, save me!" Zheng Shu scrambled up, her hands wrapping around Lady Zhu's legs as she wept and pleaded continuously.

Lady Zhu was astonished. Raising her head to look toward Wei Shao, she said in a shaking voice, "Shao'er... what are you doing?"

Wei Shao said coldly, "Listen to it yourself—how exactly this fine maternal niece of yours deceived and hoodwinked you in the past!"

The Grand Shaman knelt upon the floor, shivering violently as he knocked his head continuously: "Madam, there is something you do not know. Back then, it was precisely Zheng Shu who took gold and silk to secretly bestow upon me, wanting me to come before you and say she was the noble person of your destiny, which was why I spoke to you in that manner! To make it come true, the illness you suffered afterward was also due to her taking medicine from me. At first, she placed it into your food, and once the medicinal effect arose, she stopped, which was why you slowly recovered from the illness. Yet Madam was kept in the dark, believing it to be true..."

Zheng Shu wept bitter tears: "Aunt, spare me! Blame it only on my momentary muddle-headedness back then... Over these subsequent years, I have been thoroughly devoted to Aunt; others may not know, but Aunt ought to know..."

Lady Zhu's eyes widened into perfect circles. Her finger pointed at Zheng Shu, trembling continuously. Suddenly, she let out a loud cry, the whites of her eyes rolling up as she fainted away.

...

Lady Zhu woke up leisurely once more, discovering that she was lying upon the bed.

Wei Shao had his back turned toward her, facing the window. His rear profile was completely motionless, just like a stone statue.

Lady Zhu wanted to call out, yet did not dare call him.

Wei Shao turned around, walking slowly to the front of her bed, looking down at her.

"Shao'er..." Lady Zhu's eyes grew hot. "I know I was muddle-headed in the past... to the point of being utilized by others, almost making a catastrophic blunder... It is merely that regarding your grandmother, it truly was not I who administered the poison... No matter how great my courage, I would not dare lay hands upon her, you ought to know..."

Wei Shao stared at Lady Zhu, a thick shadow flitting across the depths of his eyes.

"Mother, you perhaps would not dare lay hands upon Grandmother, yet you laid hands upon my wife. If it were changed to anyone else, I would have ceased allowing her to remain alive in this world long ago. You are my mother, and I cannot do anything to you either. But from now on, let me tell Mother: if you dare generate evil thoughts toward her again, do not blame your son for being unfilial."

Wei Shao strode away rapidly.