The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 151
Chapter 151
Xiao Qiao froze for a fraction of a second and moved to shut the window quickly. However, Wei Yan braced it open with one hand. With the agility of an ape, he slipped through the window and landed right in front of her.
Moonlight streamed down, pooling on the windowsill behind him and outlining his silhouette. His face, however, was like the dark side of the moon, entirely concealed in shadow.
Only his eyes remained visible, gleaming with a faint, dark intensity.
Suddenly, a sharp gasp of alarm cut through the quiet behind her: "Ah—!"
Wei Yan lunged forward in a flash and struck downward with his palm. Chunniang, who had just jolted awake and sat up, let out a muffled groan before collapsing back down.
Wei Yan knocked Chunniang unconscious, walked over to the candlestick, lit the flame, and slowly turned around.
He was dressed in the ordinary green robes of a Han Chinese. Though they hadn't met in years, his face was largely as Xiao Qiao remembered, save for the short mustache he now sported.
Yet, the aura radiating from him from head to toe felt entirely different.
In him, Xiao Qiao felt as if she could smell the bloodthirsty scent of an alpha wolf.
As his flashing eyes settled on her, her heart hammered against her ribs. Her entire body tensed. Watching him warily, she backed away slowly, shielding the still-soundly sleeping Feifei behind her.
Wei Yan's gaze swept over the small bed behind her, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Do not fear. I will not harm you," he said, his voice deep and low.
In that split second, Xiao Qiao abandoned the idea of calling for help.
Only she and Feifei were in this room, along with Chunniang, who had been knocked out cold with a single blow.
Even if she screamed right now and summoned the guards, it would be child's play for Wei Yan to harm her or Feifei if he harbored malicious intent.
She gradually forced herself to calm down.
"What is your purpose here?" she asked directly.
She did not ask how he had gotten in.
Although Jia Cai had organized sentries and patrols, given Wei Yan's martial prowess and his intimate familiarity with the Wei Manor, sneaking into the inner courtyard under the cover of night was well within his capabilities.
Wei Yan remained silent. His eyes fixed on her once more, staring unblinkingly.
A faint, cool breeze seeped through the window cracks, rustling the flame and causing the dim yellow candlelight to flicker. His gaze seemed to shift along with it, turning unreadable.
His eyes lingered on her face for a moment before tracing down her neck.
Xiao Qiao was only wearing a thin, moon-white nightgown from her sleep. The collar was slightly undone, revealing a section of jade-like neck that was as fair as snow.
Turning around, she retrieved a light purple robe from the clothing rack by the bed and wrapped herself tightly in it. She lowered her head to tie the sash securely before turning back to face him.
"What should I call you? Eldest Brother? Or Hutukun, the Jianjiang King of the Xiongnu?"
She directed a cold gaze at him.
Beneath the Chanyu's Royal Tent, in addition to the Worthy Kings of the Left and Right and the Rizhu Kings of the Left and Right, there were also the Jianjiang Kings of the Left and Right. These six positions formed a hexagonal structure of power.
During his years with the Xiongnu, Wei Yan had distinguished himself brilliantly. He had aided his grandfather, the Old Chanyu, in conquering the Eastern Hu—the Xiongnu's long-standing archenemies who had occupied the Congling region for years. They killed the Eastern Hu King and seized all his people and livestock. Due to this battle, he won the appreciation of the Old Chanyu and was exceptionally ennobled as the Right Jianjiang King, governing the former Eastern Hu territories in Congling.
A few months ago, Xiao Qiao had visited the Northern House. Since the maids saw it was her, they did not announce her arrival as they would for an outsider. As she stepped inside, she inadvertently overheard Madam Xu and Nanny Zhong discussing Wei Yan, precisely touching upon this matter.
At that time, Madam Xu's tone carried both deep yearning and a faint undertone of worry.
The corner of Wei Yan's mouth twitched slightly. He walked slowly toward the small bed, finally stopping beside it and leaning down slightly.
"Is this the daughter you had with Second Brother?"
He scrutinized the soundly sleeping Feifei.
"She is beautiful... just like you..."
He murmured while staring intently at Feifei, slowly extending his hand as if to touch her cheek.
"Wei Yan!"
Xiao Qiao suddenly raised her voice.
"I will overlook your disrespect in breaking into the inner courtyard in the dead of night. I know you must have a purpose. What exactly do you want?"
Wei Yan's hand froze. He slowly drew it back, turned around, and began walking toward Xiao Qiao step by step.
Xiao Qiao did not retreat.
Wei Yan finally came to a halt right in front of her. Less than an arm's length separated them.
He was so close that he could almost catch the faint, ethereal fragrance emanating from her.
"Are you not afraid of me?"
He stared fixedly at her, his gaze gradually growing hazy and a strange expression appearing on his face.
Xiao Qiao sneered, "This is my home. Why should I fear you? You may have used your knowledge of the grounds to bypass the sentries posted by Jia Cai, but do not forget that this is the residence of the Marquis! If I cry out, and you still manage to escape unscathed, then the surname Wei can be written backward from now on!"
Wei Yan fell silent for a moment before clarity returned to his eyes. He suddenly said, "You are right. I did come for a reason."
He paused briefly. "Liu Yan sent an envoy to the Royal Tent, promising the Hetao region in exchange for the Chanyu's iron cavalry to launch a southern assault to relieve the siege on Langya. The Chanyu might not have taken his words seriously at first, but he is old and increasingly frail. The sole regret of his life is failing to reclaim the Hetao region that was lost during his reign. Thus, he was persuaded. Before long, he will seize this opportunity to send all three hundred thousand iron cavalry south, launching a surprise attack on Yunzhong, Baideng, and Shanggu..."
The Hetao region encompassed the river basins of the Huangshui, Taoshui, and Sanggan Rivers. Since antiquity, it had been a fertile land of lush pastures and rich soil. For centuries, since the rise of the Xiongnu in the north, Hetao had been a coveted prize in their eyes.
One of the Old Chanyu's greatest lifetime achievements occurred when he first succeeded to the title in his twenties. With thunderous, iron-blooded force, he wrestled Hetao away from the Han imperial house of Liu, allowing the Xiongnu to graze their horses and sheep in the south for twenty years.
Later, Wei Shao's grandfather guarded the northern border and reclaimed the occupied Hetao after several major battles. Over the past twenty years, although the Chanyu had attempted to attack Hetao multiple times, he had always been thwarted. Even though his iron cavalry had flattened the Western Regions and the Eastern Hu, a sense of grievance inevitably lingered in his heart.
Xiao Qiao's face paled drastically.
Wei Yan raised his left hand before his eyes and glanced at his pinky finger, which was fitted with a dark iron sheath.
"Before I left the Wei family back then, I severed my finger and swore an oath: as long as my maternal grandmother lives, I will not kill a single Han person. Though I am a despicable and shameless scoundrel, I still remember the oaths I made. I will not volunteer to fight in this southern campaign."
His gaze fell upon her pale, beautiful face. "Since I took my leave of the Wei family and returned to the Xiongnu, I am now a man of the Xiongnu. Even if I do not volunteer to fight, I should not have come to deliver this warning today. However, Grandmother did raise me, after all. Therefore, I came to pass on this information as a final closure to the Wei family's upbringing. From this day forward, I am no longer a Han Chinese. Just as you said, I am Hutukun of the Xiongnu."
On the bed, Chunniang, who had been knocked unconscious by the blow to the back of her neck, was gradually waking up, letting out a few muffled groans.
Wei Yan cast a deep look at Xiao Qiao, turned swiftly toward the window he had climbed through earlier, and slipped out.
Snapping out of her daze, Xiao Qiao rushed over and called out to the silhouette in the moonlight, "Grandmother has missed you constantly ever since you left. Since you came to deliver this warning, why not see her in person and tell her yourself?"
She saw the figure ahead pause slightly before continuing forward. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night.
Chunniang finally regained consciousness and sat up abruptly. Looking around, she saw the lamps were lit and Xiao Qiao was standing by the window, appearing perfectly fine. Relieved, she rubbed her still-throbbing neck and groaned, "My Lady, were you just speaking with someone? In my dream just now, I thought I saw a dark figure enter the room. I was about to call out, but then I blacked out... Was I dreaming, or did something happen?"
Xiao Qiao turned around and hurriedly penned a letter.
A moment later, Jia Cai arrived in a rush and said, "My Lady, you summoned me so suddenly. Do you have instructions?"
Xiao Qiao handed the letter to him. "Take this to the Jinlong Temple and deliver it to the Old Madam immediately! Do not delay for even a single second!"
...
Just as dawn was breaking, Madam Xu returned from the Jinlong Temple.
The moment she returned, Xiao Qiao immediately followed her inside and recounted everything regarding Wei Yan's warning from the previous night.
Naturally, she omitted the preceding events and only mentioned the contents of his warning.
Madam Xu remained silent, sitting with her eyes closed.
A short while later, Lei Yan, who had been ordered to remain behind to guard Yuyang, arrived in haste with two lieutenant generals and several deputy generals.
Aside from the various military garrisons along the border, Wei Shao had also left five thousand garrison troops each at Yanmen and Fanyang.
Madam Xu arranged the deployment of troops and generals. Once finished, she commanded, "Send express couriers on swift horses to notify the garrison commanders of Yunzhong, Baideng, and Shanggu to reinforce their defenses. If the Xiongnu attack, they must hold their ground at all costs and await reinforcements! The other military towns must coordinate with one another and report any news to me immediately!"
Lei Yan receiving his orders, departed in a hurry with his men.
After the group left, Madam Xu fell into deep thought for a moment before suddenly erupting into a violent fit of coughing.
Standing nearby, Nanny Zhong hurriedly handed her a handkerchief while gently rubbing and massaging her back.
Ever since the successive incidents involving Wei Yan and the poisoning years ago, Madam Xu's health had deteriorated significantly.
Xiao Qiao quickly poured a cup of warm water and presented it to Madam Xu once her coughing subsided.
Madam Xu took a sip of water and set the cup down. Once her breathing steadied, she smiled faintly at Xiao Qiao and said, "Do not fear. A message was dispatched to Shao'er first thing this morning; he will be able to recall his troops very soon. Though the Xiongnu iron cavalry comes with immense momentum, the men of our Wei family are battle-hardened veterans. We will surely overcome this hurdle!"
Beside her, Nanny Zhong wore a solemn expression.
Xiao Qiao asked, "Grandmother, if My Husband recalls his troops with the utmost speed, how long will it take?"
Madam Xu pondered for a moment. "If he travels light with elite troops, it will take half a month after the message reaches him."
"Which means at least twenty days. Grandmother, facing three hundred thousand Xiongnu iron cavalry with only one hundred thousand garrison troops—even factoring in the remaining forces at Yanmen and Fanyang—holding our ground will likely result in a brutal, grueling war."
Madam Xu looked at her with her sole eye. "Do you have something to say?"
Xiao Qiao knelt before her.
"Grandmother, if we were to request reinforcements from the Qiang soldiers in the Huangshui region, approximately how many days would it take for them to arrive here?"
"Ten days at most..." Madam Xu suddenly snapped her eyes up. "What do you mean?"
"Why not swiftly request reinforcement troops from the Beihe Qiang people? I believe that as long as we ask, Chief Yuanwang will definitely deploy his forces. The Qiang people are brave and skilled in combat, no less so than the Xiongnu. If they are willing to come to our aid, even if we cannot repel the Xiongnu entirely, they can at least help our garrison hold out until My Husband returns with his army."
Madam Xu knew full well in her heart that resisting three hundred thousand Xiongnu iron cavalry with a little over one hundred thousand garrison troops and holding out for more than twenty days was, in reality, incredibly difficult.
What she had just told Xiao Qiao was mostly to comfort her.
In Madam Xu's mind, she had already decided to send mother and daughter away from Yuyang as soon as possible.
Hearing this suggestion now, a surge of excitement stirred within her heart. She nodded and said, "This method is viable!”