Only two people remained in the bathhouse.
The candles on the candlestick burned quietly, emitting a warm yellow light. A thin, misty vapor laden with water droplets hung between them. Through this slowly drifting mist, he stared grimly at Xiao Qiao in the bathtub, creating an oppressive and eerie atmosphere.
The water in the tub was still hot, and Xiao Qiao was immersed in it. Suddenly, she felt cold. Her neck was tightly embraced by damp, long hair, and the coolness in the air seemed to seep into her skin through her hair. Goosebumps appeared on her shoulders and chest exposed above the water’s surface. Even her nipples beneath the water seemed to sense this slowly spreading chill, quietly becoming erect.
She discreetly sank lower, allowing the water to cover both her shoulders. However, as soon as she moved, the man approached. In a few strides, he reached the bathtub, slamming his hands down on its edges with a loud “thud.” The water’s surface trembled from the force. He leaned down, glaring into her eyes, and spoke through gritted teeth, his voice barely containing his anger: “Do you know how many of my soldiers were lost trying to rescue you from beneath the walls of Shiyi City? Even Wei Liang, invincible as he is, nearly lost his life! How dare you be so fickle, secretly communicating with Liu Yan of Langya!”
Xiao Qiao’s shoulders trembled slightly, and her heart immediately began to race.
As expected, he had found out about this! She just hadn’t anticipated it would be so soon.
As he leaned down menacingly, the distance between them suddenly became extremely close. She could even clearly feel another wave of cool air rushing towards her face as he pressed down.
Her face was still covered with a layer of moist mist, with water droplets rolling down her eyebrows and falling onto her eyelashes. She didn’t have time to wipe them away and hurriedly leaned back until her back pressed against the tub wall. Only then did she stop, looking up at him and saying, “Would you allow me to get out and put on some clothes before I explain?”
Wei Shao stared into her eyes for a moment. Then, his gaze slowly moved down her face, flushed pink and covered in a hazy mist, to the gentle curves of her chest outlined by the slightly rippling water surface.
Xiao Qiao followed his gaze, glanced down quickly, and immediately sank back into the water, leaving only her neck exposed.
Seeing this, Wei Shao’s lips twisted slightly, revealing a malicious, mocking expression. He stopped looking at her, straightened up, turned around, and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
“Get her dressed!” his voice roared from outside.
Xiao Qiao gripped the edges of the tub and stood up with a splash, water droplets cascading down her ivory-like skin. As her warm skin was suddenly exposed to the air, goosebumps immediately formed. She shivered, her legs feeling somewhat weak. As she climbed out of the tub, trembling and using both hands and feet, Chun Niang hurriedly entered to help her out.
Xiao Qiao hastily dried her wet hair while Chun Niang helped her dry off and get dressed.
Her fingers touched Xiao Qiao, feeling the coolness of her skin.
“My lady… the master is furious… perhaps I should stay by your side…” Chun Niang said, her head lowered as she tied Xiao Qiao’s sash. Her hands were trembling slightly, and it took several attempts to secure it properly.
Xiao Qiao shook her head and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry about me. I can handle this. You may go.”
Chun Niang hesitated for a moment before finally whispering back, “Then I’ll wait outside the door and keep an ear out for any disturbances inside. If anything seems amiss, I’ll come in.”
Xiao Qiao checked her clothes one last time, closed her eyes to compose herself, took a deep breath, and walked out.
Chun Niang followed her out. She glanced anxiously at Wei Shao’s gloomy face across the room, bowed slightly, and shuffled out, gently closing the door behind her.
Wei Shao’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“Husband, you’ll allow me to call you that, won’t you? I know the source of your anger, and I hope you’ll hear my explanation,” Xiao Qiao spoke before he could, taking a few steps towards him. She finally stopped beside a candlestick a few paces away from him, looking into his eyes as she spoke. Her tone was soft, and if one listened carefully, there was even a hint of pleading in it.
The distance between them was just right, several arms’ length away. It was neither too far, which would seem cold, nor too close to make either of them uncomfortable.
Wei Shao seemed slightly taken aback at first, his brows furrowing, but ultimately said nothing, his face remaining ashen.
“I believe you already know that on that day in the courtyard of Qiuji Post Station, the person who initially abducted me was indeed not Chen Rui, but Liu Yan, the heir of Langya,” Xiao Qiao continued.
Wei Shao’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly, “He followed all the way, a lover’s pursuit. You two seem to share a bond stronger than gold.”
“When you came in earlier to question me, I guessed you had misunderstood. Indeed, Liu Yan and I were once betrothed, but we hadn’t seen each other for years, let alone had any private communication. At the beginning of the year, when my uncle celebrated his birthday, he traveled a thousand miles to my home, but even then, we didn’t meet. This is true, and you can verify it. His sudden appearance and abduction of me this time was completely unexpected. It was certainly not prearranged. Every word I’ve said is true. If there’s even a hint of falsehood, may Heaven punish me!”
Her tone was neither hurried nor slow. When she finished speaking, she looked at Wei Shao across from her. He stared back at her.
Their eyes met for a moment.
His gaze was still somewhat gloomy, but she was completely composed, without a trace of evasiveness.
Gradually, the lines of his face, which had been almost rigid, finally softened somewhat.
Just as Xiao Qiao’s heart began to relax a little, she heard him say coldly, “Yet I’ve heard that the young heir of Langya has been living with the Qiao family in Dongju since he was young, avoiding danger. You two, spending day and night together, falling in love, and already betrothed – why create such an unsightly situation today? I, Wei Shao, have no shortage of potential wives. Why should I marry a woman whose heart belongs to another in the Wei family? How dare the Qiao family humiliate me like this? What do they take me for?”
“Husband, you’ve misunderstood again,” Xiao Qiao said, looking at him.
“I won’t deny that Liu Yan and I have known each other for a long time. People aren’t made of wood or stone; how could one remain unmoved after spending so much time together? But what Liu Yan and I had is in the past. As I told you earlier, as I’ve grown older these past two years, we’ve grown more distant. As for the strengths and weaknesses of the Qiao and Wei families, you and I both know very well, and I have no reason to hide it. My family sought to curry favor through this marriage, hoping to gain your support. How could there be any intention to humiliate you? Since I’ve obeyed my family’s wishes and decided to marry you, how could I be of two minds? I entered your Wei family’s door with a pure body and a devoted heart, as clear as the sun and moon for all to see.”
“You certainly have a way with words. It seems I’m the one at fault here,” Wei Shao said, his face still tense. “If you’re truly innocent, why have you been hiding the truth from me all this time since I rescued you from Shiyi?”
“The night you captured Shiyi, you came to see me. At that time, I thought that if you asked about my abduction on the road, I would immediately tell you the truth. But you didn’t mention it at all. You just told me to rest and recover, and that there was no need to rush north. Then you left in a hurry. How could I have had the chance to speak up? You should remember the situation.”
Wei Shao snorted, “What about after we returned to Xindu? Why haven’t you said anything until now?”
“Husband, since I returned to Xindu with you, I’ve been confined to this Sheyang Residence day and night, not taking a single step outside. You’ve been busy, and I haven’t had the chance to see you face-to-face until now. I know you don’t think highly of me, so even if I wanted to, how could I have had the opportunity or the courage to approach you and bring up such a matter?”
Wei Shao’s expression faltered slightly.
Xiao Qiao fell silent as well. She lowered her eyes. After a moment, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she quietly raised her eyes, quickly glancing at him, only to meet his gaze.
He was frowning at her.
“Just moments ago…” she glanced towards the door, her voice rising slightly.
“I was discussing this matter with Chun Niang. I sincerely wanted you to know, but I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. If I had told you myself and aroused your suspicions, I would have been unable to defend myself. I didn’t expect that you would burst in so angrily to question me just then…”
Her voice lowered, fading to a whisper. A hint of grievance appeared in her eyes. She gently bit her red lip, slowly lowered her eyes, and stood before him with her hands clasped, like a docile lamb.
After a while, Wei Shao’s expression softened further, though his gaze remained heavy.
“Is what you’re saying true?”
Xiao Qiao slowly raised her eyes again to meet his gaze.
“I know you despise me, and that marrying me was not your wish. Perhaps you never intended to treat me as a true wife. But I’m different. Once I left my mother’s home and entered your family’s door, I never thought of turning back. As your wife, I naturally strive to be virtuous and respectful. However, some things are truly beyond the power of a weak woman like myself to change single-handedly. This unexpected incident on the road was genuinely not my wish, but what could I have done? Liu Yan’s actions, though inappropriate, were likely born from lingering feelings of the past, and he still treated me with respect. It wasn’t until I fell into the hands of that scoundrel Chen Rui that I found myself beside a wolf. To avoid being defiled, all I could do was tremblingly protect myself and delay as much as possible…”
She paused, her tone becoming low and mournful.
“Who could have shown even a hint of sympathy for my despair and fear at that time? Fortunately, you arrived in time, and I was spared from a terrible fate. But the loss of your soldiers in rescuing me is indeed my fault…”
…
It seemed that Wei Shao had somehow learned about her initial abduction by Liu Yan, which was why he had stormed in angrily to confront her. At first, Xiao Qiao’s words were merely an attempt to dispel his doubts and avoid making her future days even more difficult. However, as she recounted her story, remembered the fear and helplessness she felt when trapped in that desperate situation, and the pain of her flesh being scorched by candle fire as she tried to save herself, coupled with the image of her father and brothers’ reluctance to part with her on her wedding day, her nose tingled, and she couldn’t help but feel her eyes grow moist.
“You married me reluctantly in the first place. If you truly don’t believe me and now resent me for causing the loss of your soldiers, you might as well send me back to Yanzhou!”
She raised her voice one last time, speaking with a trembling voice. It was clear that she was trying hard to hold back her emotions, biting her lip so hard that her normally petal-like lower lip had turned pale. In the end, a large, crystal-clear teardrop stubbornly escaped her eye, rolling down her fragrant cheek in an instant.