The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Xiao Qiao turned her head away, refusing to look at his face. "I simply didn't want to reply. That is why I didn't!"

Wei Shao let out a sharp hiss, as though drawing in a breath of cold air. He reached out to pinch her chin, turning her face back toward him and forcing her to look into his eyes.

He scrutinized her for a moment, then suddenly smoothed his brow, a trace of smugness faintly creeping into his expression. "Could it be that you didn't believe what I wrote from my heart, thinking that Madam Su and I still maintain our old ties? Are you vexed?"

Xiao Qiao’s brow knit slightly. With a crisp slap, she smacked away the hand pinching her chin, rose from his lap, and climbed out over the rim of the bath barrel. She grabbed a large, dry towel hanging nearby to wrap around herself, intending to step outside. But then she heard a loud splash behind her as Wei Shao lunged out of the water right after her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Actually, I already went to see her just now," he said.

Xiao Qiao froze, slowly turning her head back.

His pitch-black eyes looked over, seemingly harboring a glint of playful mischief.

Xiao Qiao suddenly began to struggle, hammering her fists against his arms. "The very first thing you did upon your return was go see her, yet here you are saying such things to me?"

Wei Shao laughed heartily. Scooping her up horizontally in his arms, he carried her out of the bath chamber and laid her down on the bed, which was covered with a cool ivory mat, trapping her small, clenched fists within his grasp.

"My going to see her was not because of some lingering attachment, as you think. Let alone that nothing ever existed between us in the past, even if it had, it would have long been over. I only wished to send her away tomorrow."

Xiao Qiao ceased her struggling, her eyes widening as she stared at him.

"Truly?" the word slipped from her mouth.

Wei Shao adored this silly little look of hers. He pinched the tip of her nose. "Truly. However—"

He hesitated slightly before continuing, "However, she claims her illness has not yet receded, so she cannot leave just yet. Manman, I will not hide it from you—before she married out, she frequently visited my household, and for a period of time, she took care of me for quite a while. There is, after all, some lingering sentiment between us. Now that she has put it this way, regardless of whether it is true or false, I cannot forcefully evict her..."

A trace of dilemma surfaced in his expression.

Xiao Qiao locked eyes with him for a brief moment.

It was entirely evident that the period he vaguely referred to, when she "took care of him for quite a while," must have been the aftermath of the tragedy when he was twelve years old.

Truth be told, the fact that the very first thing he did upon his return was try to send Su Ehuang away out of fear that she would mind had already taken Xiao Qiao somewhat by surprise.

"Forget it, I understand! I never asked you to drive her away this instant anyway," she said generously.

Wei Shao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He gently pinched her cheek. "No longer angry?"

Xiao Qiao wrinkled her nose. "When was I ever angry?"

Wei Shao let out a scoff, teasing her unreservedly, "Still denying it! Even Chun Niang started to feel bad for me, yet not only did you not show a shred of care, you even heartlessly and deliberately ignored my letters!"

Xiao Qiao dithered for a second, only then catching his meaning as her eyes snapped wide. "You were eavesdropping outside?"

Wei Shao gave a huff, adopting a solemn expression. "Nonsense! Would I ever need to eavesdrop?"

Xiao Qiao clenched her fists to beat his shoulders again, but Wei Shao intercepted them, pinning them securely above her head as he flipped over to press his body against hers, murmuring softly, "Chun Niang told you to manage me well, and I heard you agree to it. How exactly do you plan to go about it, hmm?"

Xiao Qiao's cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment. Just as she closed her eyes and shook her head repeatedly, Wei Shao captured her lips in a deep kiss.

...

Wei Shao had not touched a woman in months, and having just returned victorious from battle, he harbored a buildup of heat akin to a volcano on the verge of eruption. The encounter in the bath chamber just now was merely an appetizer; now that he had pinned her onto the bed, how could he possibly let her off easily? He kept at it until the dead of night, leaving Xiao Qiao utterly exhausted from his ministrations. By the end, she couldn't help but whimper and snivel softly. It seemed Wei Shao adored her looking precisely like this; in a surge of overwhelming fervor, he lost his restraint completely before finally drawing to a halt.

Though Xiao Qiao felt thoroughly exhausted, sleep eluded her.

A certain thought had been circling ceaselessly in her mind, and now that everything was quiet, it felt like a bone stuck in her throat. Never before had she felt such a burning desire to give it voice.

She quietly opened her eyes, stealing a glance at Wei Shao beside her.

His eyes were shut, caught in that twilight state between wakefulness and sleep. Yet he seemed to sense her clandestine gaze. Without opening his eyes, the corners of his lips curved up slightly as he caressed her, murmuring slurringly, "Weren't you just weeping and begging me to let you go? Why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Xiao Qiao mustered her courage and spoke up, "Husband, might I ask what exactly is kept inside that mahogany casket with the Nine-Palace Lock back home?"

Wei Shao's hand, which had been stroking her warm, smooth skin, suddenly came to a halt. He slowly opened his eyes, meeting Xiao Qiao's gaze directly.

Within his eyes, a lingering trace of their recent passion seemed to remain at first, making his gaze appear somewhat hazy. He stared at her for a brief period, and that trace of warmth gradually dissolved, replaced by a cool clarity.

"Didn't you say you were tired? Why ask about this? Go to sleep."

He tightened his embrace around Xiao Qiao and closed his eyes once more, his tone rather dismissive.

Xiao Qiao fixed her gaze upon his face.

"If Husband won't say, then I shall guess it myself," she murmured softly.

"Originally, I always assumed that the casket contained some token of affection related to Madam Su. But later, it gradually felt unlike that. By this point, I am even more certain that what is hidden inside has nothing to do with her. Since it is unrelated to Madam Su, yet my accidental touching of it managed to provoke such immense fury from Husband, I have thought it over, and it probably must be..."

She trailed off, coming to a stop.

Wei Shao slowly opened his eyes once more, looking at her. "It contains some relics left behind by my late father. Now that I've told you, can you go to sleep?"

His tone was somewhat cold and detached.

That casket was something he used to place in a prominent position, precisely to constantly remind himself never to forget the deaths of his father and brother. Only by being strong could one slaughter others instead of being slaughtered. Ever since the incident with the Nine-Palace Lock, Wei Shao had put the casket away.

His mood tonight had originally been exceptionally bright.

The western expedition had achieved its objectives ahead of schedule. He was now one step closer to his grand ambition of vying for supremacy over the realm.

The news of the Su woman's arrival in Jinyang, which had troubled him for several days, had been effortlessly resolved thanks to Xiao Qiao’s understanding nature.

The woman who had captured his heart was also growing increasingly synchronized with him, blending seamlessly like water and milk. The thoroughly satisfying lovemaking they had just concluded left his body and mind filled with immense fulfillment.

Everything had contributed to his absolute delight.

Yet, out of nowhere, she had abruptly brought up that casket—something he was still quite unwilling to discuss at length with her. This caused a damper to fall over Wei Shao's spirits, and a faint trace of guard readiness subtly arose within him.

He had a feeling that she seemed to want to use this opportunity to broach some kind of request that he actually still did not wish to touch upon even now.

Thus, he stared at her, his eyes betraying a barely perceptible sliver of displeasure.

...

It was exactly as she had guessed; she had misjudged things in the past.

Not because of Su Ehuang, but because that casket held the things connected to the most agonizing memories of his youth. That was precisely why he had reacted with such immense volatile emotion to her touch back then.

Seeing him stare at her with an expression that seemed to carry a hint of wariness, Xiao Qiao slowly let out a soft breath. She raised her finger, gently tracing along his brow, and said, "Then my heart can finally rest easy. To hide nothing from Husband, I always used to believe that the casket contained mementos of the Su daughter that you preserved. When you forbade me from touching it, and I accidentally disturbed it, you flew into a thunderous rage at me, which left my heart rather sorrowful. It turns out I had entirely misunderstood. Since it consists of Father-in-law's relics, no matter how harshly you scold me, it is only right that I bear it."

She slowly leaned closer to him, pressing a soft kiss upon his lips. Resting her forehead against his, she spoke in a gentle, murmuring tone, akin to a somnolent whisper, "There is something Husband does not know. In truth, I deeply envy Madam Su for having accompanied you through that arduous period of your youth. When my grandfather broke the covenant, leading to the deaths of Husband's father and brother and leaving Husband himself grievously wounded, I was a mere child of three or four years old, completely ignorant of the world. How could I possibly have comprehended the bone-deep agony you endured at that time? Fortunately, Heaven has been kind, and Husband has now become the one beside my pillow. If there is anything at all that can slightly alleviate the pain lingering in Husband's heart from those years, Manman is willing to do absolutely anything."

The invisible armor of defensiveness that had automatically erected itself around Wei Shao's entire body gradually melted away, inch by inch, under Xiao Qiao's soft whispers against his forehead. His heart softened completely once more. Enfolding her in his embrace, he sought out her kisses, his breath steadily quickening as he possessed her body once again.

...

The following day, Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao did not rise until very late. They remained together in their chambers the entire day, never leaving each other's side. Upon learning that over the past six months, Xiao Qiao had rarely even stepped beyond the main gates of the administrative estate, spending her days copying Buddhist scriptures in the inner residence—often for half a day at a time, to the point where she had already completed several volumes—Wei Shao felt an immense pang of tenderness and regret. The next day, he took her out to ride horses and excursion through the western suburbs of Jinyang. They did not return until evening, whereupon the gatekeeper informed them that during the day, the Lady of the Marquis of Fengyi had dispatched a messenger to the estate. The messenger had requested the Lord to visit the courier station, stating there were official matters to discuss. Upon being informed that the Lord and his wife were out, the messenger departed, but left word before leaving that the Lady had highly important business and requested the Lord to make a trip over as soon as he was informed.

Wei Shao did not say much at the time, leading Xiao Qiao inside the estate.

Xiao Qiao glanced at his expression. "Will Husband go?"

Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, looking at her.

Xiao Qiao sighed inwardly, yet her face remained bright with smiles. Raising her hand, she took a wild flower she had plucked by the roadside in the western suburbs and lightly tapped it against the bridge of his nose, saying, "What is there to be conflicted about? Since she has business, wouldn't it be far more convenient to invite her here for a conversation? Why must you make a trip to the courier station?"

Wei Shao's eyes lit up slightly, and he broke into a smile, pulling her into his arms. "As expected, Manman understands my heart best." He immediately commanded someone to convey word to the courier station, inviting Su Ehuang to come to the administrative estate for their discussion.

"Aunt, shall we go or not?"

Su Xin looked at Su Ehuang, awaiting her reply.

Su Ehuang's expression was somewhat unsightly at first, but she gradually regained her usual composure. After a moment of abstraction, she said, "Why shouldn't I go?"

...

The following day, impeccably dressed and groomed, Wei Shao met with Su Ehuang, who was led by the servants into an open-windowed parlor in the front hall of the administrative estate.

Entirely discarding the languid, sickly appearance of a few days ago with her disheveled hair, Su Ehuang was neatly coiffed and meticulously adorned today. Though a trace of melancholy still seemed to linger between her brows, her spirits appeared considerably better than before.