It was late in the night. Within the gauze curtains and soft quilt, a faint, sweet fragrance filled the air.

After spending half a month in the shabby lodgings of the border town, Wei Shao found himself unable to sleep well on this first night back home.

The Qiao woman beside him, however, slept soundly, already deep in dreams.

He had only dozed off briefly in the first half of the night. After waking, he couldn’t fall asleep again. He had opened his eyes to look at the person beside him more than once.

The strange feelings that had been building in his heart since daytime refused to subside.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, turning his face towards her.

The two of them always slept with separate blankets. Each time they went to bed, she would tuck her blanket tightly around herself, wrapping herself up snugly. Tonight was no exception.

The light in the curtained bed was dim, but he could still see her body curled up into a ball, motionless within the blanket, like a sleepy cat.

As Wei Shao gazed at her silhouette outlined by the hazy night, memories from their past interactions flashed through his mind.

Although she was a daughter of the Qiao family, and he had never wanted to marry her, she was the woman his grandmother had chosen for him. If his grandmother knew that he still hadn’t properly accepted her as his wife, she would surely scold him.

Wei Shao decided not to push her away any longer.

As if by chance, Xiao Qiao mumbled something in her sleep and rolled towards him.

His arm was lightly pressed against her shoulder. Even through the blanket, he could feel her warmth.

Wei Shao reached out to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

…

Strangely enough, since coming here, Xiao Qiao has never again experienced the terrifying nightmares about her past life that she used to have when sleeping at the Qiao family home.

After understanding the reason for Wei Shao’s displeasure that evening, she let it go.

If he was truly angry with her, there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t as if she had asked his grandmother to force him to come and pick her up.

Painting the mural during the day had been truly exhausting. When she first returned, her arms and shoulders were sore, but by the time she lay down, the ache had spread throughout her entire body. Her eyelids quickly drooped, and she fell asleep.

She had been in a hazy dream where Chun Niang was massaging her sore muscles. At first, it felt comfortable, and she even made a few encouraging sounds. But then the massage became uncomfortable and startled her from her deep sleep.

Xiao Qiao suddenly felt herself being moved, and a chill ran over her as if her blanket had been pulled away. Then, something heavy pressed down on her.

Xiao Qiao’s drowsiness finally disappeared completely. She abruptly opened her eyes and vaguely saw a human face just above her own, only inches away. Startled, she opened her mouth to cry out, but just as the sound began to form, she was silenced.

Of course, it was Wei Shao.

He didn’t want her startled sounds to wake Chun Niang or any other servant sleeping in the adjacent room.

By now, Xiao Qiao had fully awakened and realized that the person holding her was Wei Shao.

At first, she was truly unable to react, her mind completely blank. After a moment, she became aware of what was happening. An uncomfortable feeling washed over her. She hurriedly shook her head, trying to move away.

Xiao Qiao felt dizzy.

Just as she was becoming breathless, Wei Shao finally released her.

…

Having married into the Wei family, Xiao Qiao naturally hadn’t expected to remain distant forever. If there was anyone to blame for their current situation, it was Wei Shao. On their wedding night, he had pulled out a sword from under the pillow and pointed it at her nose, then refused to share the bed with her properly.

Since her husband had been unwilling to treat her as a wife, she had become accustomed to them sleeping separately, not interfering with each other.

She never imagined that after being away for half a month, he would suddenly change his attitude upon his return.

Xiao Qiao felt a bit panicked, not ready for things to progress so quickly.

His movements were also rough and inconsiderate, causing her discomfort.

Xiao Qiao heard his heavy breathing, and suddenly, inappropriately, the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast flashed through her mind.

In the fairy tale, although the male lead was undoubtedly a beast, he was gentle and considerate towards the female lead.

She was at least considered a beauty, wasn’t she? Yet Wei Shao wasn’t even as thoughtful as a beast!

When the discomfort became too much, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She bent her leg and kicked out at him hard.

Xiao Qiao was very flexible. Her leg went up high. With a loud smack that sounded like a slap, it seemed to have hit Wei Shao squarely in the face.

He let out a muffled groan.

Xiao Qiao hadn’t expected her aim to be so good, hitting him right in the face. She felt a bit guilty and quickly lowered her trembling leg, saying in a shaky voice, “You’re hurting me. Can’t you be more gentle…”

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, particularly clear in the silent night.

“My Lord! General Wei has rushed here from Shiyi overnight, saying he has urgent military intelligence to report to you!”

A voice said outside the door.

General Wei was, of course, Wei Liang.

Wei Shao’s figure immediately froze.

Xiao Qiao, who had just kicked him so hard and with such good aim in the face, was feeling a bit guilty. Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly urged him, “General Wei has traveled through the night to get here. Husband, go quickly and see what’s happening. Don’t delay important matters!”

Her voice was trembling slightly, and she was also breathing heavily.

Wei Shao knelt for a moment, then suddenly pulled back the curtain, jumped off the bed, quickly put on his clothes, and left, leaving Xiao Qiao behind.

Xiao Qiao listened intently, hearing him exchange a few quiet words with the messenger before his footsteps quickly faded away.

She let out a long breath, feeling her heart racing in her chest.

…

Wei Liang had already recovered from his injuries. A few days ago, he had set out from Shiyi with a letter from Gong Sun Yang, riding non-stop to Yuyang. He had just arrived moments ago, called for the city gates to be opened, and seeing that there was still some time before dawn, couldn’t wait and came directly.

Wei Shao received him in the study.

Wei Liang knelt on one knee before him in a military salute, took out Gong Sun Yang’s letter from his bosom, and handed it over with both hands, saying, “The military situation is truly urgent, which is why I’ve come to wake you in the dead of night, My Lord. Please forgive me!”

Wei Shao said nothing, took the letter from his hands, unfolded it, and quickly scanned it. His expression became grave.

He motioned for Wei Liang to rise.

Wei Liang stood up and said, “According to our intelligence, Chen Xiang of Bing Province has already assembled an army of 150,000, preparing to march on Shiyi. He has also betrothed one of his daughters to the fifth son of Xue Tai of Xu Province. In addition to the dowry, he’s sending 100,000 hu of grain and 1,000 taels of gold, instigating Xue Tai to attack Yu Province. The two have already allied. My Lord, you have married a woman from the Qiao family of Yu Province. If Yu Province is in danger, they will surely ask you for military assistance.

If you send troops to aid Yu Province, Shiyi will be in peril, and it may be difficult to withstand Chen Xiang’s army of 150,000. If you focus on fighting in Shiyi and don’t rescue Yu Province, then Yu Province will be hard to protect, and your marriage alliance with the Qiao family will be rendered meaningless, not to mention the criticism you’ll face. To rescue or not to rescue, both options are problematic. This is Chen Xiang’s strategy to put you in a dilemma. How do you plan to respond, My Lord?”