The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Wei Shao did not sleep well that night.

The sudden, unexpected news that he was about to become a father filled him with an intense, soaring excitement; yet at the same time, he worried that his clumsy sleeping habits might cause his leg to press against Xiao Qiao’s stomach.

Consequently, he woke up multiple times throughout the night.

Every time he awoke and opened his eyes, seeing Xiao Qiao curled up in her petite frame, sleeping tightly against him, Wei Shao found himself entirely unable to look away from her tranquil face, which still carried the innocent beauty of a young girl.

In his past—during those long dozen or so years where his childhood memories seemed to have been violently torn apart—slaughter, warfare, and deep-seated hatred had consumed almost every ounce of his mental and physical energy.

That hazy, brief attachment that had once brought a fleeting warmth to his painful youth had quickly vanished without a trace, like a flash of lightning or morning dew.

All it had left behind for that young boy was a faint, lingering shadow of aversion toward women.

Thus, from that point onward, he had subconsciously disliked having any woman draw near to him.

He used to take pleasure in slaughter, war, and vengeance. He relished the raw, visceral high brought on by hot blood splattering across a freezing blade.

He had genuinely believed that in this lifetime, his grandmother would be the only woman he would ever truly, from the bottom of his heart, be willing to draw close to.

But things were entirely different now.

He had won her heart.

The sheer volume of tenderness swelling inside Wei Shao’s heart was so vast that he simply had no idea how to express it to her.

At this very moment, if it required him to kneel down before her proudly tilted chin just for her to grant him a fraction of her love, Wei Shao felt he could probably bring himself to do it.

After all, he had already been slapped across the face by her several times.

He didn't care about his pride anymore.

Fearing he might wake her, he did not dare hold her too tightly. He merely pulled his arm back slightly, drawing her soft body into a tighter, more seamless fit against his own, before resting his chin gently against her forehead. His heart overflowed with pure joy.

If Manman could give him a son first this time, he would be absolutely thrilled.

He would personally teach him how to ride horses, shoot arrows, march in formation, and fight in battles.

Moreover, the Wei family line was currently thin on male heirs; he needed a son to carry on the ancestral lineage. When he went to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to his ancestors, father, and elder brother, having a son walking by his side would give him a much greater sense of confidence and groundedness.

Yet, if Manman gave birth to a daughter first this time, he would be just as incredibly happy.

He could not help but imagine what a daughter born of him and Manman would look like.

She would undoubtedly possess a pair of beautiful, shimmering eyes just like Manman's, eyes that could captivate anyone with a single glance.

He would love her so very, very deeply.

He would conquer this beautiful land, allowing his daughter to ride in the golden imperial carriage drawn by six horses, making all the subjects prostrate themselves at her feet. She would be the most noble and fiercely spoiled little princess in the entire world.

The moment before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, these were the thoughts circulating through Wei Shao’s mind.

...

The following day, Wei Shao was in high spirits.

Early in the morning, he dispatched a letter to Lady Xu, delivering the joyous news of Xiao Qiao's pregnancy.

Because she had only recently conceived, coupled with her current physical condition, she was completely unsuited for long-distance travel.

Therefore, Wei Shao decided to remain and accompany Xiao Qiao in Xindu for a while longer.

He would wait until Xiao Qiao's body was nurtured back to full health and strength before sending her back to Yuyang to await childbirth.

...

On this particular day in the late autumn of the second year of the Tai'an era, Liu Yan, the King of Langya, paid another visit to Lingbi.

Along the path he traveled, the autumn sun shone brightly and the fields were covered in fragrant herbs.

Yet, Liu Yan was in no mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

What registered in his vision was likely nothing more than the rustling autumn wind, the freezing forests, and the bleak mountain torrents.

In the short span of less than two months, this was already his third time visiting Lingbi.

Unlike his first two visits, when he had been high-spirited and full of grand ambitions, this time was different.

This time, Xuzhou City—which he had held for barely over a month—was in a state of imminent peril.

Xue An had dispatched troops multiple times to reclaim the city.

After suffering two defeats in open-field battles, Liu Yan had ordered a retreat to defend the city, keeping the gates firmly shut and refusing to engage the enemy.

He knew that if they continued to fight head-on, even if he didn't suffer a total defeat, the thirty-thousand-strong army he had painstakingly raised and accumulated over the past two years would inevitably sustain a devastating blow to its core strength.

He could not afford that price.

Thus, he chose to respond by retreating into a defensive posture.

However, this strategy of locking themselves in and refusing to fight could not last forever. He was well aware of this fact.

Without external assistance, it was only a matter of time before he would be caught like a rat in a hole.

Consequently, a few days ago under the cover of a deep night, protected by several of his personal guards, he had quietly slipped out of the western gate, taken the backroads, and arrived at Lingbi for the third time.

...

Over the past two-odd years, he had endured hardships and bided his time, focusing his entire heart and will toward a single goal: that one day, he too would be able to stand undefeated in this chaotic world.

During countless sleepless late nights when he woke up from his dreams, the only thing accompanying him—the bitter memory he chewed on repeatedly—was the unforgettable, agonizing humiliation from two years ago.

The woman who should have belonged to him, the woman he loved so deeply, had ultimately been claimed by another man.

The Qiao family had utterly disregarded the marriage contract, treating him as if he were nothing, and handed his fiancée over to another man on a silver platter.

The sole reason for this was that the other man was powerful enough.

While all he could offer at the time was the title of the Heir of Langya, which felt like nothing more than a joke.

For the rest of his life, he would never be able to forget that scene in the snow.

That had been the final time he ever saw her face.

She had been snatched away right out of his hands by Chen Rui.

And the only thing he could do was kneel in the snow, watching helplessly as she vanished from his line of sight.

At that exact moment, Liu Yan swore to himself that one day, no matter where she was or whose wife she had become, he would absolutely take her back.

She belonged to him. She did in the past, and she would until the day she died!

...

Originally, it seemed he had taken a massive step closer to his dream.

He had captured Xuzhou, finally expanding his influence beyond the tiny pocket of Langya.

At that time, his dream of reaching that grand position in the Qianqiu Main Hall of Luoyang had seemed clearer than it ever had before—

Naturally, he possessed the right to dream of it.

This land had originally belonged to his Liu family to begin with.

Among the numerous descendants of the imperial clan, he alone was praised as a youth of exceptional talent and grace.

When Emperor Xuan passed away, Liu Ai and Liu Li fought tooth and nail for the throne. One died, and the other was imprisoned. When the imperial throne sat vacant, he had been seventeen years old, having just returned to Langya from Yanzhou not long prior.

His name had even been brought up by the court officials in Luoyang, who believed that among the imperial clan, he was the most suitable candidate to ascend the throne.

Of course, all of that had turned out to be nothing more than a beautiful illusion.

By now, seizing the opportunity presented by this chaotic world, he had finally marched out of the State of Langya through his own painstaking efforts and occupied a new territory—and such an excellent piece of land at that.

If he could truly swallow Xuzhou completely, it would undoubtedly lay a rock-solid foundation for his broader, long-term goals.

After weighing his options repeatedly, he decided to risk slipping out of the city to come to Lingbi once more, seeking to visit Bi Zhi—the man known as the Green-Eyed General, whom he desperately wished to recruit to his side.

The first time, Bi Zhi had been engaging Yang Xin in battle at Xiao, so he failed to meet him.

The second time, Bi Zhi had politely declined his offer.

Coming for the third time, he hoped that absolute sincerity could move even the hardest heart.

Ever since this Green-Eyed General’s initial battle against Xue Tai, Liu Yan, who had been closely monitoring the Xuzhou region, had keenly realized that this man was extraordinary.

As it turned out, his judgment had been entirely accurate.

...

When he visited the previous two times, although Xue An had withdrawn his troops from Xiaqiu to protect Xiazhou, Yang Xin had still been actively attacking Lingbi.

By the time he arrived on this visit, Yang Xin had already retreated. Lingbi was entirely peaceful and serene.

Liu Yan had no idea that Yang Xin had defected to Wei Shao. Nor did he know that Yang Xin’s retreat had been carried out under Wei Shao's direct orders.

This effectively guaranteed the failure of his persuasion attempts.

On this day, although he successfully managed to meet Bi Zhi, and Bi Zhi treated him with great respect due to his imperial status—receiving him with proper etiquette and addressing him as King—

No matter how eloquently Liu Yan tried to persuade him, Bi Zhi remained just as unyielding as before, never once nodding his agreement.

Bi Zhi stated, "I am merely a commoner from the countryside. I am truly grateful to Your Majesty for thinking so highly of me and visiting three times. I ought to exert myself like a loyal beast to serve you, but I have never possessed grand ambitions, nor do I have extraordinary talents. I am entirely content to fortunately find a small measure of peace in this single area. I dare not delay Your Majesty's grand undertakings. I pray Your Majesty will not take offense."

Liu Yan was a clever man; he knew better than to force someone to do what they were unwilling to do.

In the end, he rose politely to take his leave, saying before his departure, "I have heard that the General's wife is a daughter from the residence of Inspector Qiao of Yanzhou, which makes the General and the Marquis of Yan, Wei Shao, brothers-in-law by marriage. I wonder if the General has ever met the Marquis of Yan?"

Bi Zhi replied, "We have met once."

Liu Yan smiled and said, "The Marquis of Yan is a hero of this generation. I have long heard of his name, though it is a pity I have never met him. Since the General and the Marquis of Yan are brothers-in-law, could it be that the Marquis of Yan has already beaten me to the punch and secured the General's loyalty beforehand?"

Bi Zhi quickly replied, "Your Majesty must be joking. The Marquis of Yan and I merely met once last year; there is no such thing as securing loyalty."

Liu Yan’s eyes flashed slightly. After a brief pause, he added, "When I fell into hardships during my youth, the Qiao residence did not look down on me and sheltered me for several years. My relationship with your lady is akin to that of siblings. Coming here today, I intentionally brought along some modest gifts. Would the General allow us to meet?"

...

Da Qiao met Liu Yan in the main hall.

Liu Yan possessed an elegant elegance, resembling a rare and beautiful tree in a mythical forest, and had always been refined and courteous. During his early years staying with the Qiao family, Xiao Qiao and he had been mutually in love, and Da Qiao had also maintained a very positive impression of him. He had left Yanzhou at the age of seventeen, and now, after many years had suddenly flashed by, the two of them were actually meeting in this place. Reflecting on the past, Da Qiao could not help but feel a deep sense of melancholy.

Knowing the history between him and Xiao Qiao, she kept her reminiscences strictly centered around general catch-ups, completely avoiding any mention of Xiao Qiao.

After exchanging updates on their respective recent situations, Liu Yan suddenly hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I ask Sister Ah Fan, do you happen to know of Manman's current situation?"

Da Qiao hesitated for a moment.

"Please do not misunderstand, Sister Ah Fan. I have no ulterior motives. It is simply that after being separated for so many years, I have never received any news of her. That is the only reason I am asking."

Da Qiao lifted her gaze and saw Liu Yan staring out the window, his expression filled with sorrow and longing.

Recalling the events of their youth, she could only sigh at the cruel jokes played by destiny.

After a brief thought, she spoke up, "To be honest with you, my younger sister and I have always maintained a regular correspondence... She is currently living very well and is also pregnant. Thank you for your concern, King of Langya."

Even though two years had passed, Da Qiao could see that Liu Yan still seemed unable to fully let go of his feelings for Xiao Qiao. Therefore, she deliberately emphasized this point, hoping to dispel his lingering infatuation.

Liu Yan was lost in thought for a brief moment, then suddenly broke into a bright smile, saying, "Thank you for letting me know, Sister. I have also heard some rumors regarding the past events between the Qiao family and the Marquis of Yan. Originally, I was worried that she might be living unhappily over there. Knowing that she is doing perfectly well sets my mind at ease. In my heart, she is just like you—a younger sister to me. The next time you write a letter to her, could I trouble you to convey my deepest sincerity?"

Da Qiao replied, "Please speak, King of Langya."

"Just say..."

Liu Yan lowered his eyes, pausing to consider his words.

"Just say that back when she wed the Marquis of Yan and the wedding feast was spread under the candlelights, I was too stubborn and bound by past grievances to offer my timely congratulations on her marriage, which leaves me deeply ashamed. Now that time has passed and circumstances have changed, everything has become completely clear to me. I am overjoyed to hear the auspicious news of her pregnancy, and I offer my combined congratulations, wishing my younger sister that everything goes exactly as her heart desires. Every single word carries my absolute sincerity."

Da Qiao had originally felt somewhat hesitant, but upon hearing these words, her mind was put at ease. She nodded with a smile and said, "Rest assured, King of Langya, I will certainly deliver your words to her."

Liu Yan expressed his gratitude to Da Qiao. He then took his leave.

Bi Zhi escorted him out of Lingbi.

Liu Yan urged his horse forward out of Lingbi. After riding the distance of an arrow's flight, he came to a halt, facing directly toward the north, and fell into a trance for a long while.

His attendant, Liu Shan, knowing that his attempt to recruit Bi Zhi this time had failed once again, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Xuzhou is in imminent danger. Aside from Xue An, Yang Xin is also watching us like a tiger eyeing its prey. Furthermore, Bi Zhi refuses to pledge his services. What should Your Majesty's next step be?"

Liu Yan slowly retracted his gaze from the north, speaking in a measured tone, "I have heard that even three-year-old children in Luoyang are currently singing a nursery rhyme that goes, 'The grandson is on the mountain, walking along the path.' Xing Xun's usurpation of the throne is inevitable. Just wait and see; once the situation of the realm changes, I will naturally adapt to the shifts and act accordingly. I have other strategies in mind."

Having finished speaking, he spurred his horse forward, never looking back again.