Wei Shao and Gongsun Yang parted ways, with Wei Shao heading towards Xiao Qiao’s quarters.
The two servant women, aware that the city had changed hands overnight and that Prefect Chen and his entire household of dozens were now prisoners, were on high alert. They had been ordered to stand by here, their eyes wide open, not daring to relax for a moment, fearing any mishap. Suddenly, they saw a man approaching from the end of the corridor. Though young, his gait carried an implicit authority. Noticing the guards in the corridor saluting him as “Lord Marquis,” they realized it was Marquis Wei Shao of Yan, the husband of the lady inside. They hurriedly went to meet him, kneeling on either side.
Wei Shao stopped, glancing at the candlelight filtering through the window, and inquired about the activity inside. One of them responded, saying that after Envoy Gongsun and the military physician left, they had been on duty here without leaving for a moment. However, the lady inside hadn’t called for anything and was likely asleep.
Wei Shao walked to the door, pausing briefly.
While it was true she had been abducted by Chen Rui, the process seemed suspicious. He thought it best to take this opportunity to ask her directly for clarity.
With this in mind, he felt at ease. He raised his hand and pushed open the door, walking past the bed screen to see her lying on the bed fully clothed, with the quilt covering her up to her abdomen. Her face was turned inward, motionless, seemingly asleep as the servant had said.
Wei Shao walked straight to the bedside, about to wake her, when he first noticed what appeared to be traces of tears on her outward-facing cheek. His gaze lingered for a moment before moving down to her hands.
Her hands were resting palm-up on top of the quilt, soft and curled naturally, clean as spring onions. Her sleeves were rolled up twice, bunched up just below her elbows, revealing a section of her jade-like arms. The skin was visibly smooth and delicate, except for a band of soft white linen wrapped around her wrists, with dark ointment seeping through, looking quite out of place.
Wei Shao looked for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to her face.
Candlelight filtered through the bed curtains, casting a half-light, half-shadow on her face, creating a quiet fan-shaped shadow from her long eyelashes on her lower eyelids. Her face was turned slightly inward, allowing him to see only half of her beautiful profile. In the dim candlelight through the gauze curtains, a beauty sleeping alone was like a crabapple blossom seen through the mist – purely from a man’s visual perspective, it was naturally a pleasurable sight to behold.
Wei Shao was a normal man. Since she was asleep, he couldn’t help but take another look. It was then that he seemed to suddenly notice that the corners of her lips appeared naturally slightly upturned. Even now, perhaps due to the pain in her wrists, her brows were slightly furrowed in her sleep, yet because of those slightly upturned corners of her lips, her sleeping face gained an air of charm and innocence.
Wei Shao gazed for a moment, suddenly not wanting to wake her. As he turned to leave, Xiao Qiao seemed to sense something, her eyelids fluttering slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, vaguely seeing a figure swaying by the bed. Startled, she let out a low cry and sat up abruptly.
“It’s me!” Wei Shao stopped, turning back immediately.
The experiences of the past few days were truly unpleasant to recall, and being suddenly awakened from sleep inevitably led to some jumpiness. By now, Xiao Qiao had recognized the visitor and slowly let out a sigh of relief.
She guessed he must have come for a reason, and most likely it was related to her abduction. So she said nothing, sitting there with her face slightly upturned, looking at him, waiting for him to speak.
After a while, when he didn’t speak, she noticed his gaze moving downward. Following it, she glanced down and slowly withdrew her hands under the quilt corner, covering them.
Wei Shao shifted his gaze, turning his face slightly away, not looking at her. In a flat tone, he said, “I came to tell you to take good care of your injury. There’s no need to go to Yuyang for now. When it’s time for me to return, I’ll take you back with me.”
Xiao Qiao was somewhat surprised but didn’t say anything else. She just looked at him and softly responded with an “Mm.”
Wei Shao glanced at her once more before turning to leave. Xiao Qiao heard him instructing the servants outside to take good care of her, and then his footsteps gradually faded away.
Xiao Qiao slowly lay back down.
In her heart, she vaguely felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Regarding the circumstances of her abduction, he hadn’t asked – did this mean he didn’t know that Liu Yan was the one who had initially kidnapped her?
If he never brought it up, could she pretend it never happened and just let it slide?
…
Starting the next day, Wei Shao began issuing public documents in the city, reassuring the citizens, taking over the government offices, and was busy for several consecutive days without reappearing. Xiao Qiao also hadn’t stepped out at all, staying in her room to eat, drink, sleep, and recover. Four or five days later, the two servants attending to her came to ask her to board a carriage, and only then did she realize they were returning to Xindu.
Wei Shao entrusted Stone City to Gongsun Yang, leaving Wei Liang and the injured soldiers to continue recuperating. He left a large portion of his troops to garrison the city, while he led the remaining forces back, taking Xiao Qiao with him.
Xiao Qiao once again sat in a very comfortably furnished carriage. That morning, as they were leaving Stone City, she looked out the carriage window to see the streets eerily quiet, with most houses along the road tightly shuttered. But she was certain that behind these doors and windows, there must have been countless eyes filled with fear or resistance, peeking through the cracks at the new masters of this city passing by on the road. The few people she did see were standing far away at the entrances of alleys or the ends of streets. Only after their entire procession had passed did people gradually emerge from unknown corners, gathering in twos and threes, looking at their retreating figures and whispering among themselves.
As they were about to exit the city gate, a child of four or five suddenly ran out from a half-open door nearby, chasing a wildcat. The child ran right in front of Wei Shao’s horse, which was leading the procession. Wei Shao pulled on the reins, forcefully turning the horse’s head in another direction, barely avoiding the child.
“How dare you! Whose child is this, running out recklessly to obstruct the way!” shouted Tan Fu, a Lieutenant General following behind Wei Shao. Having lost two capable deputy commanders on the night of the attack, he was already displeased. These past few days, while assisting Gongsun Yang in pacifying the populace, he had seen the citizens recoiling in fear, progress was not smooth, and he resented their ingratitude. Now, his anger erupted as he fiercely drew his sword and roared at those nearby.
The child, frightened, fell on his bottom and began to wail loudly. Hearing this, the woman inside the house realized her son had run out while she wasn’t paying attention. Her face turned pale as she rushed out, quickly grabbing her son and kneeling before the horse, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Wei Shao steadied his horse, his face also showing some displeasure. With furrowed brows, he seemed to be holding back his irritation as he waved his hand impatiently. The woman understood this as a sign of pardon, hurriedly kowtowed once more, and ran back inside with her son. As soon as they entered, the door slammed shut with a creak.
Tan Fu looked at Wei Shao and, seeing that his expression had returned to its previous stern composure, reluctantly sheathed his sword and continued out of the city.
Xiao Qiao, who had been watching tensely, finally let out a small sigh of relief as this brief incident passed without further trouble. She lowered the carriage curtain.
…
Xiao Qiao returned safely to Xindu with Wei Shao and his troops.
Chun Niang and the others had arrived earlier than Xiao Qiao.
Chun Niang’s daughter had unfortunately passed away from illness at the age of three or four. Since then, Chun Niang has devoted all her attention to Xiao Qiao, valuing her more than her own life. That day, she had watched helplessly as Xiao Qiao was suddenly abducted right before her eyes. Chun Niang was heartbroken. Following Wei Liang’s instructions to return to Xindu first, she had been unable to eat or sleep for days, crying until her eyes were swollen.
In just a few short days, her once plump face had noticeably thinned. Now, finally seeing Xiao Qiao return safely, she first shed tears of joy. However, upon noticing Xiao Qiao’s injured wrist and learning that she had burned herself with a candle while trying to escape, Chun Niang cried again, this time out of distress. After a mix of laughter and tears, they finally returned to the Sheyang Residence, where Xiao Qiao had stayed for one night before. The maids reopened the chests, laid out the furnishings, and prepared for their stay.
This “new room” was originally Wei Shao’s regular sleeping quarters. It seemed to have been tidied up the day after Xiao Qiao left, with no trace of the festive atmosphere of a “bridal chamber” remaining. That night, Xiao Qiao followed her usual routine, knowing that Wei Shao would certainly not come to share the room with her. As for Chun Niang, after this incident, she seemed to have new worries on her mind, truly embodying the saying “the eunuch is more anxious than the emperor.”
She stayed up very late, long after Xiao Qiao had gone to bed, unwilling to sleep until a servant girl from Wei Shao’s study, whom she had bribed, secretly passed on the message that the Lord Marquis had ordered a bed to be prepared in his study for the night. Only then did Chun Niang give up and reluctantly close the door to go to sleep.
Over the next few days, Chun Niang took meticulous care of Xiao Qiao, truly waiting on her hand and foot. Xiao Qiao was certain that as long as Chun Niang was by her side in this life, she could live very comfortably even if she had no hands or feet.
The burn on her wrist, having endured the initial days of pain, was now beginning to heal, slowly shedding the layer of dead skin and growing new skin. A physician came daily to change her dressing. Since yesterday, they had stopped using the original black, somewhat smelly ointment and switched to a new milky-white one that smelled cool and comfortable. The physician said this ointment had the effect of removing dead tissue and promoting new growth. Based on the severity of the Lady’s burn and his experience, he predicted that with good recovery, the skin should grow back as smooth as before, without leaving scars.
Chun Niang had been worried about this for the first few days, fearing that Xiao Qiao’s beautiful jade-like wrists would be left with burn scars. Hearing the physician’s words, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That evening, Xiao Qiao bathed.
She was exceptionally diligent about bathing. For the past two years, even in the severe winter, as long as conditions at home allowed, she would take a thorough bath every other day. At first, Chun Niang found this sudden change in bathing habits strange but gradually got used to it. After all, the Qiao family was wealthy, and it was merely a matter of having the kitchen boil a few more buckets of hot water.
The bathroom here was connected to Xiao Qiao’s bedroom, separated by a screen. Chun Niang helped Xiao Qiao undress, assisted her into the large bathtub, and ordered her to keep both hands raised high, not allowing her wrists to get wet at all. Seeing her obediently comply, Chun Niang was satisfied and began washing her long hair.
Xiao Qiao leaned against the edge of the tub, with the hot water reaching just above her chest. The water line rippled slightly with Chun Niang’s movements, as if small tongues were gently licking her chest, bringing a slight sensual feeling. She was immersed in the warmth, feeling Chun Niang’s skilled and comfortable technique massaging her scalp, almost falling asleep from the comfort.
“…My Lady, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say…” Chun Niang suddenly whispered near Xiao Qiao’s ear as she had her eyes closed.
Xiao Qiao responded with a soft “Mm.”
“I feel like the person who abducted you on horseback that day at the courier station looked somewhat familiar…”
Chun Niang’s voice came close to Xiao Qiao’s ear.
Xiao Qiao paused, opened her eyes, and sat up straight, turning to look at Chun Niang. She saw that Chun Niang was also looking at her, with an expression of uncertainty, but more so of concern, which Xiao Qiao could discern.
“My Lady…” Chun Niang looked at her and sighed softly, “Was that person indeed the young master I’m thinking of?”
Liu Yan had lived in the Qiao household for many years, and though he had left several years ago, a person’s features, even if they change somewhat with adulthood, generally remain recognizable. It was normal for Chun Niang to recognize him.
Xiao Qiao looked into her worried eyes, hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Don’t worry, Chun Niang. He probably won’t come again.”
Chun Niang was stunned, her expression becoming even more worried.
“Does Marquis Wei know about this?” she asked in an almost inaudible whisper near Xiao Qiao’s ear.
Xiao Qiao shook her head.
“The night he captured Stone City, he came to see me. I thought he was going to ask about my abduction. If he had asked, I would have told him, but he didn’t, so I thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie…”
Chun Niang was lost in thought for a moment.
“Let’s hope this matter just passes…” she sighed.
Seeing her worry, Xiao Qiao wrapped her snow-white arms around Chun Niang’s neck and began to whine playfully, “Chun Niang, my wrist is so itchy, I want to scratch it… What should I do…”
Her wrist was indeed itchy as new skin grew, and the steam in the bathtub wasn’t helping. She wasn’t lying.
Chun Niang immediately became concerned, quickly grabbing her hand and gently rubbing around the wound with her fingertips, saying, “Just bear with it, it will pass. Don’t scratch it yourself, understand? What if you damage it and leave a scar?”
Xiao Qiao nodded a couple of times, resting her face against Chun Niang’s warm and soft chest, nuzzling it a few times with her eyes closed, her voice soft and sweet, “Chun Niang, you’re so good to me…”
Chun Niang smiled, “My little wild one is so beautiful and sweet, who could bear to be unkind to you…”
Before she could finish speaking, there was suddenly a loud “bang” from outside, as if someone had forcefully pushed open the door, with an undercurrent of angry intent.
“Lord Marquis! The Lady is still bathing—” came the panicked voice of a maid.
Xiao Qiao opened her eyes.
Chun Niang also froze for a moment, then patted Xiao Qiao’s shoulder reassuringly before quickly standing up. She was about to go out to greet him when footsteps approached rapidly. A shadow appeared behind the screen, and the lowered curtain was suddenly yanked open as Wei Shao burst into the bathroom.
The candles on the kneeling bronze figurine candlesticks in the corners flickered slightly. In this space filled with fragrant mist, the air seemed to cool rapidly with his sudden intrusion.
He stood there, his expression extremely cold, but his eyes betrayed an undisguisable anger as he glanced at Xiao Qiao, still sitting in the bathtub opposite him.
“Get out,” he said.
Chun Niang knew he was talking to her. Suppressing her unease, she said in a slightly trembling voice, “Lord Marquis, are you here for the Lady? She’s still bathing. Please allow me to help her dress first…”
“Get out!” Wei Shao suddenly raised his voice.
Chun Niang’s shoulders trembled slightly, but she still stubbornly stood half-bowing in front of Xiao Qiao, unwilling to leave.
“Chun Niang, you may go. I’ll be fine,” Xiao Qiao said slowly.
Chun Niang looked back at Xiao Qiao, finally lowered her head, and silently walked past Wei Shao and out of the room.