The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 122
Chapter 122
Da Qiao was momentarily stunned, but joy quickly washed over her face. "Does my husband mean that Yang Xin is currently acting on his own initiative and attacking you behind the Marquis of Yan's back?"
She scrambled right up from the bed. "I will go write a letter to my little sister immediately and have her inform the Marquis of Yan..."
Bi Zhi pulled his excited wife back, making her lie back down. Gazing into her beautiful, pure eyes which were clear as water, he forced a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Did I say something wrong? You don't need to feel put out, Husband. If my little sister finds out, she will definitely help us!" Da Qiao looked at her husband in confusion.
Bi Zhi affectionately stroked his wife's beautiful hair, pondered for a moment, and said, "If my guess is correct, Yang Xin's sudden, uncharacteristic and repeated attacks against me are likely carried out under the orders of the Marquis of Yan."
Da Qiao was greatly shocked and stared blankly at her husband for a good while.
"My brother-in-law—" She hesitated. "Why would the Marquis of Yan want to make things difficult for you?"
Bi Zhi remained silent.
...
Ever since learning the news yesterday that Yang Xin had already thrown his allegiance to Wei Shao, Bi Zhi had also been turning this question over and over in his mind.
If it were a matter of personal grievance between the two of them, he thought about it back and forth, and the only thing worth mentioning was the fight that had broken out due to a misunderstanding when he went to pick up the Lady outside the Hu Family Village last year.
At that time, his arm had sustained a minor injury.
But Bi Zhi concluded that it was absolutely impossible for a man to mobilize troops on such a grand scale to come and launch an offensive against him over such a minor friction born of a misunderstanding.
If he were narrow-minded to such an extent, no matter how noble his birth or how many fine ministers and veteran generals he had under his command, it would be impossible for him to hold such vital military power and attain his current status at such a young age.
Since it was not out of personal grievance, then it must be out of consideration for his grand strategy for the realm.
Bi Zhi had heard of Wei Shao's reputation as the Hegemon of the North like thunder piercing his ears. Just a short while ago, he had heard that Wei Shao, leveraging the residual prestige of his pacification of the west, had annexed the territories of Feng Zhao.
He pointed his sword at the realm with his sights set on the supreme throne; this had long ceased to be any closely guarded secret.
Aside from Wei Shao, the current formidable figures like Xing Xun, Yuan Zhe, Lezheng Gong... these heroes of the age had already reached such heights, each holding armies in their hands. Coinciding with the impending collapse of the Han dynasty's fortunes, which one of them did not wish to contend for the realm?
But what caused Bi Zhi to feel perplexed was why Wei Shao, having just returned from pacifying the west, would immediately fix his gaze upon his own person.
Although he currently occupied a piece of land and had some troops and horses under his command, when comparing strength, he fell far short of matching those military warlords who hailed from prominent, aristocratic clans.
The Lingbi he held was moreover unlike Xuzhou, which was a crucial strategic prize.
Wei Shao was leaving so many adversaries untouched who were clearly more worth his while to deal with at present, and was instead directing his spearhead straight toward his own tiny Lingbi first. What exactly he was plotting, Bi Zhi truly could not figure out.
...
"Husband..."
In addition to her anxiety, Da Qiao felt it was even more difficult to believe. Seeing her husband pondering in silence, she called out to him.
"Could it be that that person is slandering the Marquis of Yan, deliberately driving a wedge between you? The Marquis of Yan married my little sister, and last time my little sister personally told me that the Marquis of Yan treats her extremely well. Furthermore, Husband has never offended him. Why on earth would he send Yang Xin to attack you?"
Da Qiao was gentle and kind, always tending to think of people in the best possible light.
Moreover, Wei Shao was her little sister's husband. She was even more unwilling for such a thing to truly happen.
Bi Zhi said, "There should be no mistake. I have never had any dealings with the Marquis of Yan, so there is truly no necessity to drive a wedge between us. Perhaps the Marquis of Yan plans to seize Xuzhou, and I am blocking the middle."
Da Qiao's mind instantly became a chaotic mess. She was dazed for a moment and murmured, "If it's true, I wonder if my little sister knows about this matter. If she knows... I fear she will have a dispute with the Marquis of Yan..."
She suddenly scrambled up again and caught hold of her husband's arm. "Husband, return the territory of Xiao to Yang Xin! Once you return Xiao, he should stop coming to attack, right? I don't want you to keep fighting any longer!"
Bi Zhi said, "Yesterday I already passed word to Yang Xin, conveying this intent. It's just that judging by Yang Xin's tone, it seems he intends to seize Lingbi along with it before he will be willing to let the matter drop!"
Da Qiao froze, her face turning slightly pale.
Bi Zhi comforted her, "Ah Fan, I originally didn't want you to know about this matter, lest it provoke your worry. I was only afraid that in case the matter grows huge in the future and you find out then, you would blame me for concealing it. That is why I informed you first, so you can be prepared in your heart."
Da Qiao stared blankly at him. "What does Husband intend to do next?"
Bi Zhi slowly sat up.
"Ah Fan, I married you as my wife, and now we have Li'er. In this chaotic world, the only thing I think of is merely being able to have a place to settle down and establish my life, ensuring a lifetime of safety for you and Li'er. If it were possible, even if it meant throwing away everything here right this moment to go back into the deep mountains with you to live in seclusion and ignore all external affairs, I would be perfectly content and happy. It's just that I am caught in the gears of circumstance; having already walked to this step, I am likewise unable to just abandon everything here and leave with you. The Marquis of Yan may have some misunderstanding regarding me. Since the person behind Yang Xin is him, I will directly negotiate with him. I intend to send a written letter to explain clearly to him that I have no intention of opposing him, and even less intention of obstructing his grand strategy for the realm. If there is a misunderstanding in the middle, given that I have expressed myself in this manner, he should also give it some consideration. If he believes me, it would be for the best. If he still views me as an enemy, though he is strong, I do not fear him either. When soldiers come, generals will block them; I will do everything in my power to fight back!"
He gazed intently at Da Qiao, gently drawing her into his embrace.
"It's just that in this way, it's somewhat unfair to you. In the future, I am afraid it won't be as convenient as before for you and the Lady to correspond and meet."
Da Qiao leaned against her husband's solid chest, remaining silent for a long time, before suddenly saying, "Husband, I will also write a letter to my little sister and have the messenger take it along. If the misunderstanding between the Marquis of Yan and you is dissolved, nothing could be better. If the misunderstanding remains unresolved, then we can only seek help from my little sister."
"I don't want you to be hostile with the Marquis of Yan. I surmise my little sister should feel the same way. I originally didn't want to add to my little sister's troubles either. But recalling your words just now, I feel it is still better to let her know as early as possible, lest the matter grows so huge that it becomes unmanageable. Last time she came to see me, judging by her tone, the Marquis of Yan dotes on her very much. If she goes to advise and mediate, if the Marquis of Yan has any misunderstanding, he should also be willing to listen to a fair portion of it."
Da Qiao said finally.
...
In the blink of an eye, another large part of a month passed.
Xiao Qiao was still in Xindu, but she had consistently failed to receive Da Qiao's reply.
On this day, Wei Shao went out early in the morning. Finding herself with nothing to do and thinking of the letter again, Xiao Qiao personally sought out Jia Si to inquire once more.
She had asked before as well, and Jia Si had only said it should be soon, asking the Lady to wait patiently.
Today brought the exact same reply.
"General Jia, if there is a letter, I must trouble you to forward it to me immediately."
Xiao Qiao said, suppressing the disappointment in her heart.
Jia Si hurriedly nodded, somewhat afraid to look at the Lady.
Even if he were beaten to death, Jia Si wouldn't dare let the Lady know that, in truth, the letter she had entrusted him to send earlier had never even crossed the main gates of the Xin Palace.
He was Wei Shao's Commander of the Tiger Brave Imperial Guards. Aside from bearing the responsibility of protection, correspondence coming and going usually went through his hands first without exception.
That day, he had forwarded the letter the Lady wanted to send straight to the Lord Marquis.
It was not that he was acting on his own initiative, but rather that he was following orders.
On the very day the Lord Marquis temporarily decided to remain in Xindu for a few more days, he had spoken to him, stating that if the Lady had letters to be sent to Lingbi, or if outsiders delivered letters to her, they were all to be forwarded to him first without exception.
He had also added an instruction that there was no need to let the Lady know.
With the Lord Marquis speaking, how could Jia Si dare disobey?
He dared even less to tell the Lady that just yesterday, a messenger had arrived from Lingbi to deliver a letter.
That letter was sent by Bi Zhi to the Lord Marquis.
As for what was said in Bi Zhi's letter to the Lord Marquis, Jia Si naturally had no way of knowing.
He had only seen with his own eyes that when he delivered the letter into the study at that time, the Lord Marquis took it, and without even lifting his eyelids, tossed it at will into the basket beside him.
The basket was filled with discarded or poorly written bamboo slips and silk scrolls.
They would be cleaned out and burned together at regular intervals.
Jia Si had not spoken up to ask at that time.
But he knew in his heart that this meant the Lord Marquis would not be replying.
Taking into consideration that when he escorted the Lady to Lingbi last time, he had personally seen the close relationship between the Lady and Bi Zhi and his wife, after he came out, he had spoken properly and tactfully expressed that the Lord Marquis would not be replying, sending the messenger on his way.
"General Jia, I have troubled you to go to such expense." Xiao Qiao spoke again.
Jia Si hurriedly shook his head. "I dare not. It is only right."
The Lady's disposition was truly gentle. Although it was apparent that she was waiting with an anxious heart, she would never show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction or reproach when facing him. Those extremely beautiful eyes only revealed disappointment, whereupon she instructed him, asking him to pay more close attention, and if there was a reply, to forward it to her immediately.
Facing a Lady like this, Jia Si felt increasingly guilty in his heart.
To the point that when speaking to her at this moment, he didn't dare look her in the eyes anymore.
Xiao Qiao did not notice the abnormal look on Jia Si's face either. She smiled and nodded to him, turning to leave. Not a moment after she returned to her room, Nanny Chun came in and said, "Lady, guess who has come to this place?"
"Who?" Seeing the faint look of joy on her face, Xiao Qiao was somewhat bewildered.
Nanny Chun stopped keeping her in suspense.
"That young master Zong from before!"
Xiao Qiao was slightly startled.
"Just now, this servant heard word from outside saying someone was looking for me and waiting outside the side gate. I doubted who would come here to look for me, so I went out to take a look. I never expected it would actually be him! Young master Zong said he was delivering a letter to the Lady on behalf of your elder sister."
With that, she handed it over.
Xiao Qiao was pleasantly surprised. Taking it, she hurriedly broke the seal.
Nanny Chun knew Xiao Qiao had been waiting for Da Qiao's reply all this time. With Zong Ji suddenly delivering the letter personally, she was also exceedingly happy.
While Xiao Qiao was reading the letter, Nanny Chun smiled from the side and said, "What does it say on the letter? Did it mention the little baby? He should be around six or seven months old by now, right..."
Xiao Qiao was smiling broadly at first, but before she could even finish reading, her face changed drastically, and she could scarcely believe her own eyes.
She swept her eyes over it from beginning to end once more with lightning speed, her hands trembling slightly beyond her control.
Nanny Chun also detected her abnormal state. Seeing her face suddenly turn deathly pale and the color drain from her lips, she was startled and hurriedly asked, "What has happened? What does the letter say?"
"Has young master Zong left?" Xiao Qiao asked. Without waiting for Nanny Chun's answer, she lifted her feet and headed straight outside.
Her state of mind was far too chaotic, and her hands and feet were trembling to the extent that when she lifted her foot to step over the threshold, her toe was actually tripped up, causing her to almost plunge to the ground. Fortunately, Nanny Chun was quick of eye and deft of hand, catching her from behind with a firm grip, and became even more panicked. "What on earth has happened? Walk a bit slower, this servant will support you as you go."
Xiao Qiao closed her eyes, managing with an effort to steady her mind. Without uttering a single word, she swiftly made her way to the side gate of the Xin Palace.