The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 111

Chapter 111

The following day, Xiao Qiao received a formal visiting card from Su Ehuang. The message stated that Su Ehuang was traveling south to Luoyang and passing through Jinyang. Upon learning that Xiao Qiao was also here, she was pleasantly surprised and had sent the card specifically to request a visit.

Chun Niang said, "My Lady, there is no need to pay her any mind."

Xiao Qiao replied, "I have nothing else to do anyway. Since she has already come and even sent a proper visiting card, there is no harm in meeting her."

Chun Niang was taken aback. She stole a quiet glance at Xiao Qiao and, seeing her smiling with an unruffled expression, turned around to deliver the reply.

After Chun Niang left, Xiao Qiao discarded the reply letter she had started writing yesterday, which was only half-finished. Picking up her brush once more, she penned a brand-new letter. After writing a few lines about her current situation, she adopted a playful tone and wrote: Having learned that Husband has me in his dreams every night, Manman feels deeply honored. How could Manman ever dare to have any other young gentleman in her own dreams?

At the very end of the letter, she added another line: I have heard that Madam Su of the Liu clan, the Lady of Fengyi, arrived in Jinyang just a few days ago. Having traveled from afar, and knowing that Husband shares an old acquaintance with Madam Su, I dare not be remiss. I am willing to receive her on Husband's behalf to show our hospitality. Husband can completely set his mind at ease and need not worry.

Once she finished writing, she waited for the ink to dry, rolled the parchment up, and placed it inside a letter cylinder. She then gave it to the messenger who had arrived yesterday, sending him on his way.

...

In a side parlor of the government administrative estate's inner residence, Xiao Qiao met with the visiting Su Ehuang.

Nearly a year had passed since Su Ehuang left Yuyang after the Great Luli Assembly at the end of last year. She looked exactly as Xiao Qiao remembered her—dressed in splendid robes and exquisite ornaments, radiating immense charm and carrying herself with excellent grace.

The moment she saw Xiao Qiao, she immediately praised her beauty and bearing, claiming they were even grander than before. She smiled and said, "Do you know why I have always called you 'Little Sister'? Aside from my kinship with the Old Madame and my childhood acquaintance with Zhonglin, which makes me feel close to you, it is also because since I was young, I watched sisters in other families going out to play together and sharing the same handkerchief indoors in perfect intimacy. I have always yearned for that. Regrettably, I was the only daughter in my household, which inevitably left me with a sense of lingering remorse. Seeing such an ethereal and refined person as you, Sister, I felt admiration in my heart. Moreover, since I am a few years older than you, I took the liberty of calling you that on my own whim. You won't laugh at me, will you, Sister?"

Xiao Qiao invited her to take a seat and smiled. "Why must you be so humble, Madam? Who under heaven does not know the beautiful name of the Lady of the Jade Pavilion? I am merely a woman of the inner quarters. Previously in Yuyang, I spent my days busy with the trivialities of household management and attending to the Old Madame and my mother-in-law. Having come here, I only know to do my utmost to serve my husband. I am entirely ignorant of anything else, so how could I possibly deserve such lavish praise from you, Madam? As for what you call me, it is a trivial matter. You may do as you please, Madam. It is nothing more than a form of address, so why would I laugh at it?"

Su Ehuang looked at Xiao Qiao, the smile remaining on her face, but her expression stiffened ever so slightly.

...

Last year, in the State of Zhongshan, she had seen the Qiao daughter for the first time. Although the two of them had crossed paths several times since then, Grand Madame Xu had always been present at their side.

Su Ehuang had noticed that the Qiao daughter remained silent most of the time, and her conversations with Su Ehuang herself were even more sparse.

It was during those few brief, sporadic encounters that Su Ehuang had secretly sized up this wife Wei Shao had taken from the Qiao family of Yanzhou.

Young, beautiful, and favored by Grand Madame Xu—these were the Qiao daughter's greatest advantages.

Wei Shao harbored a deep, bone-deep hatred for the Qiao family and had married her with an ulterior motive. The Qiao daughter herself possessed no sharp edges to speak of, and her temperament was as mild and plain as plain water. She was like a mere shadow standing behind Grand Madame Xu—these were all the Qiao daughter's disadvantages.

Youth and beauty, along with Grand Madame Xu’s affection, might allow the Qiao daughter to keep Wei Shao staying in her bed for a few more nights. But Su Ehuang did not believe a woman like this could truly capture Wei Shao's heart.

Furthermore, compared to the glaring disadvantages weighing upon the Qiao daughter, how much did those advantages of hers actually weigh in Wei Shao's heart?

Therefore, Su Ehuang had always possessed immense confidence regarding her own return.

Ever since she began gradually turning her gaze back toward her childhood acquaintance, Wei Shao, a few years ago, she had similarly analyzed her own advantages and disadvantages.

Having abandoned him in their youth to marry another, and now being older in years—these were her disadvantages.

But she also possessed an advantage, one that was completely unique and could not be replicated by anyone else: no one understood Wei Shao’s temperament, what he loved, and what he detested better than she did.

In the eyes of the world, Wei Shao's methods in dealing with his enemies were ruthless and chilling to the bone.

Yet Su Ehuang knew exactly how absolute and unyielding his devotion could be toward anyone who managed to enter his heart.

Just as no one understood the sheer agony the deaths of his father and elder brother had inflicted upon him better than she did. It was precisely because the blow had struck those he cherished most that his hatred for his enemies had reached such a ferocious intensity.

Thus, Su Ehuang's self-confidence was by no means baseless.

When Wei Shao experienced the tragedy of losing his father and brother at the age of twelve, and was so severely injured himself that he remained bedridden for a full half-year, she had been the one constantly attending to him with devoted care, comforting him in every possible way.

By virtue of this shared history alone, not even ten Qiao daughters could hope to compare to her.

Moreover, Su Ehuang still remembered with absolute clarity that when she later married into Luoyang, she had tried to find an opportunity to bid him farewell before her departure.

She had sent someone to deliver a verbal message, inviting him out to meet.

Although Wei Shao did not keep the appointment at the time, that fifteen-year-old youth had commanded her messenger to relay a single sentence back to her.

He said: My only wish from afar is that Man may enjoy endless blessings.

Though it was such a simple phrase, Su Ehuang had discerned within it countless unspoken sentiments of a young man's heart.

Therefore, Su Ehuang had actually prepared for a very long time and anticipated this meeting with the Qiao daughter immensely.

Since her initial strike at Grand Madame Xu’s side had missed its mark, she naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to keep knocking against a brick wall.

She could simply alter her approach.

After waiting patiently for so long, she felt the timing was finally right, which was why she had ultimately come here.

This time, she would meet Wei Shao face-to-face. This time was also the very first time she and this Qiao daughter, whom Wei Shao had married, would confront each other without Grand Madame Xu present to intervene.

This was a battlefield. Just like a battlefield of men, the final outcome would involve fallen bodies and flowing blood, yet the weapons used here were invisible blades.

Right at the opening exchange, Su Ehuang realized she had struck a wall. Her opening remarks, which sounded intimate but actually carried an undercurrent of provocation, ended up making her look ridiculous under the Qiao daughter's counter-response.

What made Su Ehuang even more guarded was that, for a moment, she actually couldn't tell whether the Qiao daughter's response hid a needle wrapped in silk or if it was simply her natural way of thinking.

For the first time, she felt that by addressing the Qiao daughter as "Sister" from the very beginning, she had actually made herself look overly eager and foolish.

However, she could not change her form of address now.

Countless thoughts flashed through Su Ehuang's mind in an instant, yet not a single trace showed on her face as she continued to converse and smile. After exchanging a bit more idle chatter, she suddenly said, "In the visiting card I sent you yesterday, Sister, I also mentioned a brief word. I intend to travel south to Luoyang and passed through this area. Upon learning that you were here as well, I was immensely surprised. Thinking that it would be remiss to pass by without seeing you, I sent the card to disturb you. I heard that Zhonglin is currently out west to pacify the region. With Yuyang thousands of miles away from here, you actually followed him all this way to attend to him, Sister. To be virtuous to such an extent is truly Zhonglin's good fortune. Yet he is so preoccupied with his own affairs that he has left you here all alone, which must inevitably be quite lonely. It is just that men are different from us womenfolk, whose eyes can only see the sky above a single courtyard. Moreover, I have known Zhonglin since childhood and can be considered to have grown up alongside him; I know his ambitions are lofty and far beyond ordinary men. He might be somewhat negligent regarding a woman's inner thoughts. You must absolutely not hold a grudge against him, Sister."

Standing to the side, Chun Niang smiled and spoke up, "Madam is truly considerate. Originally, these private matters between my Lady and the Lord are not things a servant like me should speak of to outsiders. But since Madam is no outsider, I will run my mouth a bit so as to put Madam's mind at ease. Madam probably does not know, but my Lady is different from other women. Other women wish for nothing more than to stick to their men's sides at every moment to keep watch, terrified that their household fences aren't tied tightly enough and that some shameless stray dog might slip inside if they blink for even a second. My Lady, however, never dwells on such things. At the beginning of the year when the Lord came to Jinyang, my Lady was initially unwilling to come along. The Lord had already been on the road for several days, yet he actually rushed back in the dead of night, insisting that my Lady must travel with him. Only then did my Lady accompany the Lord here. Since our arrival, though the Lord is busy with military matters, messengers have been traveling back and forth without interruption. Just yesterday, the Lord sent another letter. Speaking of it, it's quite amusing—every single time the messenger arrives with a letter, he absolutely must wait right here. If he doesn't receive a reply from my Lady, he doesn't dare return, dreading that he will be reprimanded by the Lord for coming back empty-handed..."

"Chun Niang! What nonsense are you spouting in front of Madam!"

Xiao Qiao frowned slightly, cutting Chun Niang off.

Chun Niang hurriedly said, "I only spoke out of turn because I feared Madam Liu was worried. I shall speak no further." With that, she closed her mouth.

Xiao Qiao looked toward Su Ehuang and smiled apologetically. "My wet nurse speaks too much. I have given you cause to laugh at us, Madam."

Su Ehuang's gaze slowly shifted back from Chun Niang's face. She smiled faintly and replied, "Not at all! Zhonglin and you are so deeply affectionate, Sister, it is truly enough to make anyone envious..."

...

By the time Su Ehuang was escorted out of the administrative estate's main gates and climbed into her carriage to head back to the official courier station, her heart was thumping wildly, its rhythm entirely disrupted.

Her hands were also somewhat cold.

Just now, while she was still inside, even though she had maintained a bright smile and pleasant conversation with the Qiao daughter, her mind had grown entirely unsettled.

The words that had spilled from that servant Chun Niang's mouth had utterly disrupted her composure.

Her original intention for this visit was to test the Qiao daughter's true depths once more.

She had never expected to receive such a result.

The "stray dog" Chun Niang had mentioned was an implicit sneer directed at her.

Without the backing of the Qiao daughter, a mere servant—even if she was the mistress's wet nurse—would absolutely never dare to speak such words to her face.

From this, it was evident that the Qiao daughter did not exist within the Wei family merely as a shadow of Grand Madame Xu, as she had previously assumed. She must have already discerned Su Ehuang's intentions to draw close to Wei Shao.

That mattered little. Su Ehuang did not mind, and she knew it was impossible to keep her objectives hidden forever.

What truly caused her composure to fracture were those everyday details concerning the interactions between Wei Shao and the Qiao daughter that had come from the wet nurse's mouth.

Wei Shao might live in the same room and share the same bed with this Qiao daughter. Yet Su Ehuang could not believe that Wei Shao could actually become so profoundly close with a daughter of his enemy family.

It had to be that the wet nurse had received instructions from her mistress to deliberately fabricate those stories in front of her, solely to make her back down in the face of difficulties.

On the journey back, Su Ehuang repeated this reassurance to herself over and over in her mind.

By the time the carriage pulled to a halt outside the gates of the courier station, her originally chaotic emotions had gradually settled back into composure.

As long as she could get close to Wei Shao, she would surely have an opportunity to awaken the youth within his heart—the one who had once wished her endless blessings from afar. She retained immense confidence.

"Inform the station master that my chronic headaches have flared up, and I must remain here to recuperate from my illness," Su Ehuang commanded her maidservant coldly upon entering the courier station.

...

Three days ago, Wei Shao had received the reply letter from Xiao Qiao.

Every single time he read her letters, it proved to be a highly delightful experience for Wei Shao, who was currently enduring one bloody, blade-clashing battle after another. For this reason, he had even specifically designated a single messenger whose sole purpose was to convey the private correspondence between the two of them.

This was a secret belonging entirely to the Lord, and not even Gongsun Yang was aware of it.

Wei Shao always found her letters to be far too short. They were over after barely a few glances. Consequently, he could never bring himself to read them all in a single breath every time. He would always finish reading one section, savor it for a moment, and only then proceed to the next paragraph.

This instance was no exception.

At the time, he kept himself out of sight of others, reading down line by line, paragraph by paragraph. When he reached the part where Xiao Qiao wrote, Having learned that Husband has me in his dreams every night, Manman feels deeply honored. How could Manman ever dare to have any other young gentleman in her own dreams? Wei Shao felt quite pleased with himself. It was as though the playful expression she wore whenever she spoke those words materialized right before his eyes, causing the corners of his lips to curl up into a slight smile.

He continued reading down to the very end, whereupon his gaze suddenly froze in place.

The Su woman had come to Jinyang? What did she want to do? Manman wouldn't let her thoughts run wild over this, would she?

Within his mind, these three thoughts immediately leaped out one after another.