Wei Shao, though having temporarily driven Feng Zhao back from Hongnong, received news that other Qiang people along the Huangshui River, led by Beihe, were successively expressing their willingness to submit. However, the situation in the area remained complex. Feng Zhao had been entrenched there for many years with Xing Xun’s backing, and could potentially regroup and counterattack at any time. The Shaodang Qiang were also waiting for an opportunity nearby.
Wei Shao was extremely busy.
After the first battle, although he had planned to find time to return to Jinyang to see Xiao Qiao—he did miss her, after all—he hadn’t intended to leave immediately.
Now, upon hearing this news from Gongsun Yang, he became instantly furious, unable to delay even for a moment.
Such an incident had occurred, yet it was concealed from him!
At the moment he first heard it, if it hadn’t been Gongsun Yang but any other person under his command, he might have overturned the table and flown into a rage on the spot.
About a month ago, he had received a letter from her.
Only now did he realize that just a few days before she wrote that letter to him, she had experienced such a terrifying and dangerous ordeal.
But even in her letter, she didn’t mention a word of it to him.
She only told him in a casual tone that she had inadvertently saved the grandson of the Beihe tribe’s leader and had sent him back home.
Everyone had kept it from him! Even she didn’t say a word to him!
Anger, heartache, fear, and a hint of subtle disappointment—Wei Shao set out on the road back to Jinyang that very day with these emotions churning inside him.
…
Several days later, on a starry night, a group of riders galloped through the gates of Jinyang, heading directly towards the northern government office.
The Tiger Warriors standing guard at the office’s entrance were surprised to see a group of riders emerging from the misty night, speeding towards them.
With only a few dozen paces left, the riders showed no signs of changing direction.
At the Decurion’s command, the Tiger Warriors quickly formed an archery formation, ready to fire arrows to force them to stop. But in the blink of an eye, the riders had already swept up to them.
The Decurion recognized the lead rider as the Marquis. He hurriedly ordered the way to be cleared.
The double red doors of the office swung open. The Tiger Warriors greeted them with military salutes.
Wei Shao’s warhorse, which had been galloping at full speed, finally came to a stop. Its body was drenched in sweat, letting out heavy, continuous snorts. As soon as the reins were loosened, it could no longer support itself and dropped to its front knees.
For the past half month since returning from Huangshui, Jia Si had been personally leading the night watch. Tonight, as usual, he was patrolling near the inner gate leading to the inner courtyard when a subordinate rushed to report that the Marquis had entered the main gate and was approaching the second gate.
Jia Si was startled and quickly went out to meet him. Just as he reached the second gate, he saw a familiar figure striding towards him from afar.
Jia Si immediately knelt on one knee at the bottom of the five-step staircase and called out loudly, “This humble servant Jia Si welcomes the Marquis’s return!”
At first, Wei Shao seemed not to hear him, not even pausing as he strode past, quickly moving ten paces away.
Jia Si initially didn’t dare to look up at him, only feeling a slight breeze from the Marquis’s robe as he passed. When he finally dared to raise his eyes, he watched the Marquis’s retreating figure hurriedly enter the inner courtyard.
His anxious heart relaxed a little.
He slowly let out a sigh of relief and had just gotten up from the ground when he suddenly saw the Marquis’s figure pause ahead, stop, then turn and stride back towards him. His heart leaped again, and he hurriedly knelt once more.
Wei Shao returned to stand before Jia Si and asked coldly, “Is the Lady inside?”
“Yes, My Lord, the Lady is inside,” Jia Si replied.
“What were my instructions to you before I left?” His voice sounded hard as stone.
Jia Si kept bowing his head and said, “My Lord instructed that protecting the Lady was the highest priority! It was entirely this servant’s failure! Please punish me, My Lord!”
Wei Shao took a deep breath, his voice growing even colder: “Tell me the detailed events of that night! Don’t omit a single word!”
Jia Si was the direct superior of Lin, the Tiger Warrior. On that day, he had continued to mistakenly pursue Chen Rui, but realizing something was wrong the next day, he had returned and learned of the incident. After it was over, he had naturally questioned Lin in detail about what had happened. As it involved the Lady’s private matters, he hadn’t felt it appropriate to speak of the details to Gongsun Yang that day. Now, being questioned so directly by the Marquis, he dared not conceal anything and recounted the events from start to finish.
Gongsun Yang’s knowledge of that night was already just a general outline. By the time it reached Wei Shao through him, it had become even more simplified.
Wei Shao only knew that Chen Rui had sneaked into the inner courtyard at night through the water channel in the back garden’s pool, intending to abduct Xiao Qiao, but was intercepted and shot dead on the spot. He knew nothing of the other details.
It was precisely because he didn’t know that he was even more worried, rushing back day and night. Now, he gradually understood that Chen Rui had broken into Xiao Qiao’s bedchamber in the middle of the night, that Xiao Qiao had delayed him for some time, intentionally startling Chun Niang in the side room, and then when forcibly taken away by Chen Rui, had managed to keep him outside the door until the night guards rushed in to shoot Chen Rui—his palms were covered in a cold sweat, his shock and anger beyond words.
After Jia Si finished his account, he hesitated, unsure whether to tell the final scene. Looking up, he met the Marquis’s two icy glares fixed on him, and he shuddered. He thought to himself, even if I don’t say it now and try to conceal it, others might not necessarily keep quiet. And even if others don’t speak, the Lady herself will surely tell the Marquis about what happened…
Remembering the Marquis’s earlier words, “Don’t omit a single word,” Jia Si dared not entertain any other thoughts. Steeling himself, he continued, “There was one last unexpected incident…”
Wei Shao stood motionless.
Jia Si forced himself to continue in a low voice, “This servant wasn’t present at the time and didn’t see it with his own eyes. I only heard from Deputy Commander Lin that after Chen Rui had been shot more than a dozen times and fallen to the ground, the Lady came out of the room and approached him, probably wanting to question him. Seeing that he was already dead, the Lady, in her compassion, asked Deputy Commander Lin to dig a grave to give him a proper burial. Unexpectedly, at that moment, Chen Rui suddenly revived and, catching everyone off guard, lunged forward and bit the Lady’s foot, saying something before finally dying…”
“What did he say?” Wei Shao demanded.
Jia Si lacked the courage to speak it aloud.
“What did he say?!” came the sudden, furious roar from the Marquis.
Cold sweat rolled down Jia Si’s forehead as he stammered, “According to Deputy Commander Lin, he seemed to say… that the Lady was beautiful… and that even dying at her… feet… was… willingly accepted…”
Jia Si finally managed to repeat those shameful and deeply offensive words that he hadn’t been able to forget since hearing them. His own heart was pounding, his face flushed with embarrassment, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at the Marquis’s expression.
Wei Shao stood rigid for a moment, then suddenly drew his sword with a swift motion. Jia Si felt a sharp gust of wind on his face and heard the piercing sound of a sword striking something hard. In an instant, sparks flew, and the head of the stone guardian beast statue standing beside the second gate—used to protect the inner residence—was forcefully cleaved in two by the Marquis’s sword. It fell to the ground with a “thud” and rolled seven or eight steps away before finally coming to a stop.
There was no other sound around.
The air of the late spring night seemed to have frozen.
Jia Si knelt near the now headless stone beast, not daring to breathe deeply.
“Go dig up that scoundrel’s body! Wait for me to personally tear him to pieces!” Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between Wei Shao’s teeth.
Jia Si responded affirmatively.
Wei Shao turned and strode inside.
Jia Si, who had been sweating profusely earlier, now felt cold sweat pouring out, soaking through his inner garment. Only after the Marquis’s figure had completely disappeared from view did he look at the severed head of the stone beast on the ground and let out a long sigh.
…
It was already the end of April.
Almost a month had passed since that incident.
Even now, Chun Niang still sleeps with Xiao Qiao at night.
The illness that had frightened her earlier had initially started to improve. With the discovery of Yuan, her mood had lifted, and after taking some calming medicine for a few days, she had gradually gotten better. However, just a few days ago, due to the unpredictable weather fluctuating between warm and cold, when evil spirits most easily invade, she had another nightmare while sleeping. She woke up screaming and developed a fever that same night. Chun Niang was so worried that she urgently called for a doctor and tended to her, and only in the past couple of days had her condition improved somewhat. However, she still hadn’t fully recovered, remaining listless and unwilling to move much. Chun Niang didn’t dare leave her side. At night, she even laid out a bed next to Xiao Qiao’s to personally keep her company.
On this evening, Xiao Qiao took her medicine and, feeling its effects, went to sleep early.
At first, Chun Niang was doing some needlework on knee warmers in the room, occasionally turning to look at Xiao Qiao lying on the bed.
As the night deepened, Chun Niang sent the maids to rest. She finished one knee warmer, put down her needlework, stretched her back, and was about to sleep herself when she suddenly remembered that she wanted to cook white fungus for Xiao Qiao to drink tomorrow, but had forgotten to tell the kitchen maid to soak it overnight. She looked back at Xiao Qiao once more, saw that she was sleeping soundly, then quietly opened the door and went out to the small kitchen herself. She selected some white fungus and soaked it, then returned to the room, closed the door, and was about to bolt it when she suddenly heard footsteps in the courtyard.
At such a late hour, unless there was an urgent matter, no one would enter the inner courtyard without being summoned. Moreover, judging by the sound of the footsteps, it seemed to be a man.
Chun Niang felt suspicious. Although she thought it unlikely that any trouble would occur with Jia Si and his men guarding day and night, remembering the unexpected incident from a month ago made her cautious. She paused, opened the door slightly, and peeked out.
Lanterns hung in the corridor, illuminating a figure quickly ascending the steps to the veranda.
It was Wei Shao.
Chun Niang was both surprised and delighted. She looked back at Xiao Qiao, saw that she was still asleep, then quietly opened the door and went out to meet him. She made a gesture for silence to the approaching Marquis, then led him to a spot a bit farther away before apologizing, “The Lady is asleep. I feared disturbing her, which is why I’ve inconvenienced my Lord to come this way to speak. Please forgive this servant’s rudeness.”
Wei Shao looked at the lit windows and asked in a low voice, “How is she?”
From his tone, Chun Niang guessed that he must already know about the incident from a month ago. She replied, “At first, the Lady was quite shocked and fell ill. She had originally recovered. But a few days ago, she had another frightening dream while sleeping and developed a fever that same night. Fortunately, the fever has subsided these past two days, though she still has some cough and remains listless. She took her medicine and went to sleep early tonight, and hasn’t woken yet.”
“When did my Lord return?” Chun Niang asked respectfully.
Wei Shao didn’t answer. He stood there, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, then said, “I understand. You must have had a difficult time these past few days. Go and rest now.” With that, he turned to go inside.
Chun Niang quickly called out to stop him: “The Lady was badly frightened at the time, and even now, she doesn’t sleep soundly at night. My Lord must… must be gentle and careful, so as not to frighten her again.”
She hesitated for a moment, but her love and concern for Xiao Qiao ultimately outweighed everything else, prompting her to offer this soft reminder.
Wei Shao said nothing, only turned around, walked to the door, gently pushed it open, and stepped inside.
…
Xiao Qiao wasn’t sleeping very soundly. In a hazy state, she felt an itch in her throat, coughed a few times, and woke up. She felt a fullness in her lower abdomen. Without opening her eyes, she mumbled habitually, “Chun Niang, I need to relieve myself…”
Even now, she still felt uneasy going to the bathroom alone at night. She even needed Chun Niang to accompany her to the door when relieving herself. At this moment, halfway through her words, her mind suddenly cleared. She realized it was the middle of the night. Chun Niang had been taking care of her in everything for the past month and must be exhausted.
She rubbed her eyes, intending to get up quietly by herself when suddenly a pair of strong arms reached out from behind her and gently lifted her from the bed.
These were not Chun Niang’s arms.
She didn’t have such strength.
Xiao Qiao was startled, now fully awake. Her heart began to race. Just as she was about to cry out, a man’s low voice whispered in her ear: “It’s me. I’m back. Don’t be afraid.”
The voice was very familiar to her. But this tone was one she had never heard before—so gentle.
She slowly opened her eyes and met Wei Shao’s gaze looking down at her, their eyes locking together.