The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Xiao Qiao tilted her face up slightly, gazing absentmindedly at the birds on the branch for a moment.

Behind her on the bed, Wei Shao reached out in his hazy, half-awake state and felt the space beside him.

He felt nothing but emptiness.

His eyelids fluttered slightly, and then he suddenly snapped his eyes open, sitting up with a sudden whoosh.

The corner of the quilt that Xiao Qiao had just pulled up to his shoulders slid down his chest, gathering beside his abdominal muscles.

Flinging the quilt aside, he was about to leap out of bed when he suddenly caught sight of Xiao Qiao’s silhouette standing by the small window.

He froze.

He stopped in his tracks.

Xiao Qiao turned her head.

Their gazes locked.

"Come here," Wei Shao said, looking at her. His voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

Xiao Qiao closed the window and returned to his side.

He grasped her hand and gave it a gentle tug.

Xiao Qiao tumbled down, falling straight into his embrace.

"Last night, I was very pleased. You were pleased too, weren't you?" Wei Shao asked, looking down at her.

Xiao Qiao leaned against his shoulder, tilting her face up to look into his eyes, which still bore faint traces of bloodshot veins, as if he were closely scrutinizing her.

Amidst her hesitation, just as her lips parted slightly, Wei Shao suddenly seemed to no longer care for her answer.

He lowered his head and sealed her mouth with a kiss.

...

It was not until the middle of the hour of Si that the chamber door finally opened.

The clothes Wei Shao had shed last night had already been dried over a fire and ironed flat by Chun Niang, who then brought them inside.

The two of them rose, partook of a simple meal, and left the courier station to head back toward Xindu.

Wei Shao asked Xiao Qiao to wait for him for a few more days. Once he had met with the envoy sent by Guo Quan, the Marquis of Jibei, he would return to Yuyang together with her.

...

Since Xing Xun held the office of Prime Minister and was also honored by the young Emperor, Liu Tong, as his Imperial Father, his status was incomparably revered. Not only did the imperial palace seem like his own private residence, with his comings and goings mimicking the Son of Heaven's imperial carriage, and his summoning of the Three Secretariats and convening of the Ministers resembling the treatment of his personal retainers, but by now, out of sheer laziness to travel to the imperial palace, he even commanded the court officials to come directly before him to deliberate on state affairs.

People in the streets of Luoyang whispered that there were now two courts in the city: one was the Hall of a Thousand Autumns and Ten Thousand Years inside the imperial palace, and the other was the Lotus Terrace of the Imperial Father.

The Lotus Terrace derived its name from Xing Xun's magnificent villa built in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang. It was a sprawling estate of vast halls and lofty pavilions, featuring carved balustrades and jade-like masonry. In the middle of the garden's lake stood a towering pavilion shaped like a lotus blossom, with jade stone steps inlaid with gold threads. Within its walls, it not only stored amassed gold and precious jewels, gathering the wealth of the entire realm, but also housed beauties, effectively serving as Xing Xun's private imperial harem.

Ever since Su Ehuan had married into Luoyang more than ten years ago, her grand reputation had spread far and wide.

Back when Xing Xun was still serving as a Provincial Governor outside of Luoyang, he had already heard of the name of Luoyang's Madame Yulou.

Aside from her beauty, he had also heard of her fateful destiny.

Later, after Xing Xun led his heavy troops into Luoyang, eradicated his rivals, and stabilized the political situation, the very first thing he did was to seek out Su Ehuan during a palace banquet.

At that time, she was still the wife of the Duke of Zuofengyi.

Xing Xun desired to violate her, and secretly sought all kinds of opportunities thereafter.

How could Su Ehuan fail to see Xing Xun's intentions toward her?

She was a clever woman. In particular, she understood the base nature of men deeply.

Throughout her life, she could be said to have been entirely invincible when dealing with men.

The only one she had ever tripped up on so far was Wei Shao. But that is a story for later.

She knew of Xing Xun's lustful desires toward her.

Xing Xun's power overshadowed the entire court. For such a figure to be infatuated with her, she naturally could not help but feel proud in her heart.

Yet, she did not want to let him have his way so easily.

If a man obtains a woman too easily, he will absolutely never keep her in his heart.

Although Xing Xun held great power in his hands, he had, after all, only recently entered Luoyang at that time.

Su Ehuan was a member of the imperial clan.

No matter how decayed the House of Han was, if she refused to comply, Xing Xun truly could not go so far as to burst into the estate of the Duke of Zuofengyi to carry her away by force.

After half a year of maintaining such an ambiguous, push-and-pull relationship, Liu Li died. Su Ehuan became a fresh widow.

Three days later, Xing Xun sent men to secretly escort her to the Lotus Terrace.

Even then, she still looked down upon Xing Xun.

The man she truly held in her heart was far away in Youzhou.

In order to win that man back, she had been secretly scheming for a long time. How could she willingly submit herself to the Lotus Terrace?

Taking advantage of the time when Xing Xun was fighting at the Sishui River, she returned to the State of Zhongshan under the pretext of observing her mourning period.

A double year had passed since she left, and now that she had returned, even though the noble ladies of Luoyang were as numerous as the clouds, the prestige of Madame Yulou remained completely unsurpassed by anyone.

...

At the Lotus Terrace, amidst a setting of wine pools and meat forests, Xing Xun doted on Su Ehuan in the inner chambers after a grand feast concluded.

Afterward, Xing Xun lay upon the couch, snoring like thunder.

The room was opulent and magnificent, and the beauty's dark hair was spread out like a cloud.

A look of disgust surfaced in Su Ehuan's eyes. She pushed away Xing Xun's obese torso, stepped off the couch, and sat before the mirror, gazing absentmindedly at her reflection.

A golden half-mask, crafted by a skilled artisan commissioned at a high price, covered the middle of her nose. Hooked behind her head with soft straps, it fit exquisitely and securely.

Unless she untied the straps herself, it would absolutely never fall off, even in her sleep.

She looked at herself for a moment, then her gaze fell upon the silhouette of Xing Xun's back reflected in the mirror behind her. After a moment of deep thought, she got up, returned to the couch, let out a sharp cry of alarm, and began to shake Xing Xun vigorously.

Xing Xun was startled awake from his deep slumber. Feeling displeased, he narrowed his eyes and said, "What is Madame clamoring about?"

Su Ehuan said in panic, "Just now in my sleep, I indistinctly saw a beam of golden light suddenly descend from the roof beam, rushing straight toward the Prime Minister. I thought it meant to harm the Prime Minister, so I cried out in alarm. To my surprise, that golden light circled above the Prime Minister's head several times, and actually transformed into a dragon! It wagged its tail and leaped over the roof beam, landing in the eastern suburbs! I was startled awake, and only then did I disturb the Prime Minister. May the Prime Minister forgive my offense!"

Xing Xun was originally displeed, but upon hearing this, all his sleepiness vanished. He opened his eyes and said, "Is this true?"

Su Ehuan said, "Before the Prime Minister, how would I dare to speak nonsense?"

Xing Xun fell into deep thought.

Su Ehuan dropped to her knees and said, "That dream just now was truly vivid. It was just as if I had seen it with my own eyes! My heart is in a state of utter turmoil. Why doesn't the Prime Minister send men to the eastern suburbs to see what exactly happened?"

Xing Xun granted her request. He dispatched men immediately. After dawn, the men returned to report, claiming that they had dug up a thousand-year-old tortoise shell in the wild fields of the eastern suburbs. Upon it were engraved nine large characters: "The grandson is in the mountains, a destiny of movement, ruling over all under heaven." They had already placed the tortoise shell inside a precious casket and brought it over, requesting the Prime Minister to inspect it.

Xing Xun immediately summoned his close confidants and subordinates to gather at the Lotus Terrace. As everyone crowded around to look, none failed to cry out in amazement. Among them, the Chief Clerk, Feng Yi, said, "The grandson in the mountains, a destiny of movement—the characters 'Sun' and 'Zhi' combine to form 'Xun', which matches the Prime Minister's name. This is an auspicious omen descended from heaven, declaring that the Prime Minister possesses the destiny to sit upon the throne of all under heaven!"

The Director of Rectitude, Zang Chang, also said, "The mandate of the House of Han has run its course, the people are destitute, and complaints resound throughout the land. If it were not for the Prime Minister single-handedly supporting the realm with bitter effort, it would have fallen into disintegration long ago. The Prime Minister possesses the merit of rectifying the state, and last year you defeated Yuan Zhe, bringing the hearts of all within the seas together as one. You ought to respond to heaven and accord with destiny, assuming the imperial throne!"

The remaining crowd chimed in one after another in agreement.

Although Xing Xun was incomparably exalted nowadays, to the point where even the young Emperor, Liu Tong, honored him as his Imperial Father, and whenever he visited the imperial palace, if there were no court officials present before them, Xing Xun would sit while the young Emperor instead stood to the side, trembling with fear—yet, it ultimately did not bring him as much satisfaction as proclaiming himself emperor. He had long harbored the intention to usurp the throne. He had simply held many misgivings previously. Today, having received a heavenly omen, and with his subordinates unanimously urging him to ascend, his heart was instantly swayed. He kept his confidants like Feng Yi and Zang Chang behind to privately discuss matters, intending to select an auspicious day for his enthronement and to manufacture massive public momentum. It was not until evening that they dispersed. When Xing Xun approached Su Ehuan once more, intending to use his hand to lift the butterfly mask from her face, he was stopped. He laughed and said, "Has the Prime Minister forgotten? I once told the Prime Minister that last year I met a diviner and asked about my destiny again. The diviner said that I originally possessed an extremely noble destiny, but unfortunately, the Orchid Pavilions on the left and right obstructed my fortune, which caused me to lose my husband and become a widow. I must use the element of metal within the Five Elements to break this fortune, which is why my face is covered with this butterfly mask. If the Prime Minister removes my golden butterfly, wouldn't that shatter my fortune?"

Su Ehuan concealed her secret with absolute strictness. Although Xing Xun also harbored some doubts, he was half-believing and half-doubting of this pretext of hers. However, the tale that the daughter of the Su family was born with an anomalous destiny had long been deeply rooted, and moreover, there was her account of the dream last night which had aided his endeavors today. Naturally, Xing Xun would not forcefully attempt to untie her butterfly mask. Instead, he felt that this kind of partial concealment carried an even deeper air of mystery. Right then, he burst into a great laugh and said, "Madame is truly a wonderful person. Only after obtaining Madame do I know that the women I copulated with in the past are all not worth mentioning! If I become emperor in the future, I will certainly welcome Madame into the imperial harem, so as not to fail your destiny of being born with an anomalous nature!"

Su Ehuan said, "I thank the Prime Minister for his profound affection. However, I am worried that although the Prime Minister has now received auspicious omens descended from heaven, the various feudal lords might not necessarily be willing to submit. Especially Wei Shao of the north—how could he be willing to bow his head and declare himself a vassal?"

Upon hearing the two words "Wei Shao," Xing Xun flew into a furious rage: "That brat Wei Shao! Last year during the New Year's Day court congratulations, not one of the feudal lords failed to arrive, yet he alone did not come! This year, he went so far as to drive Feng Zhao to occupy Liangzhou. To be arrogant to such a degree, does he truly think I can do nothing to him? Once my great matters are concluded, I will personally raise an army to launch a campaign against Youzhou!"

Su Ehuan said, "The Prime Minister truly possesses a manly spirit! Ehuan is filled with admiration, and will sit and wait for the Prime Minister to unify the seas and the universe, displaying your majesty in all eight directions! Wei Shao is filled with wild ambition. His marrying of the daughter of the Qiao family from Yanzhou is done to borrow Yanzhou's strength, making it convenient for him to plot treason southward in the future. If the Prime Minister launches a campaign against Wei Shao, you should simultaneously attack Yanzhou. Only in this manner can you kill two birds with one stone and cut off his retreat!"

Xing Xun glanced at her: "I have heard that in your early years, Madame seemed to share an old acquaintance with that Wei Shao. Why is it that you harbor such grinding hatred toward him now?"

Su Ehuan said, "It was merely knowing each other when we were young and meeting a few times, that is all. How can there be any talk of an old acquaintance? Since he is an enemy to the Prime Minister, he is also an enemy to me."

Xing Xun said, "Good! Once I reach the imperial throne, I will certainly elevate you!"

Su Ehuan smiled: "I thank Your Majesty for your grand grace."

Xing Xun burst into a great laugh, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Yuan Zhe's adoptive son, Ding Qu, who changed sides to submit under my banner last year, once told me that Wei Shao's wife possesses a beauty rare in this world, such that no man under heaven who beholds her fails to lose his soul. I heard that Chen Xiang's loss of Bingzhou and the origin of his defeat also began because his son seized Wei Shao's wife, which provoked Wei Shao to attack Shiyi before he could wrest the Qiao girl back. That brat Wei Shao's fortune with beautiful women is certainly not shallow. Since you are acquainted with him, have you ever seen the Qiao girl? Compared to you, who is more beautiful?"

Su Ehuan offered a coquettish smile and said, "如何 can I compare my beauty with Wei Shao's wife? As for what degree of beauty the Qiao girl possesses, for the Prime Minister to personally catch a glimpse of her would surpass ten thousand words of description."

Xing Xun fell into deep thought, his heart gradually itching with unbearable desire. He wished he could instantly seize that Qiao girl and hide her away inside the Lotus Terrace.

Both to vent his hatred, making Wei Shao taste the humiliation of having his wife stolen, and moreover, to witness with his own eyes exactly how beautiful that Qiao girl was, that she could cause Chen Xiang to lose Shiyi—which he had securely guarded for several decades—and subsequently suffer a crushing defeat, handing his grand foundation over to others on a silver platter.

...

Wei Shao returned to Xindu with Xiao Qiao that same evening.

Gongsun Yang was currently waiting for him inside the Xindu Palace.

Although there was not much unusual expression on his face, it was clear that something must have occurred.

Wei Shao escorted Xiao Qiao back to the Sheyang Residence first. Afterward, he went to the study and asked, "What is the matter, Mister?"

What awaited him was a piece of news that he had not anticipated at all previously.

Gongsun Yang said, "During the day, a swift messenger arriving like a shooting star reported that Liu Yan, the King of Langya, has allied with the State of Donghai and dispatched troops to Xuzhou. In order to protect his own territory, Xue An hastily withdrew his troops..."

Wei Shao's thoughts did not manage to snap back at first.

Liu Yan, the King of Langya?

He finally returned to his senses. He abruptly looked toward Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang's tone became increasingly cautious: "According to reports from our scouts, Liu Yan subsequently went to Lingbi in person. It is suspected that he intends to recruit and appease Bizhi."