“Did you enjoy yourself just now?”
The clouds of passion had barely settled when Wei Shao, still embracing Little Qiao, whispered in her ear, their faces close on the pillow.
Little Qiao felt lazy and didn’t want to move, so she kept her eyes closed and didn’t respond. Suddenly, she felt pain in her buttocks as Wei Shao’s large hand gave her a firm squeeze there.
She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. She bit her lip and reluctantly mumbled an “Mmm” twice. Wei Shao smiled, looking slightly smug, and held her in his arms. After a moment, he said in a calm tone, “Your younger brother seems to have a prejudice against me.”
Little Qiao was startled and observed his expression.
His face was calm as if he had just suddenly remembered to mention this to her, showing no other emotions. Such a simple statement indeed left her unsure of his sudden intention in bringing it up, so she asked, “Did my brother offend you with improper manners?”
Wei Shao paused briefly: “No, he didn’t.”
Little Qiao felt slightly relieved: “If he didn’t offend you, why do you say he has a prejudice against you?”
Wei Shao remained silent.
Little Qiao couldn’t quite understand what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she explained, “How could my brother have a prejudice against you? He’s usually mischievous and naive at home, so I was afraid he might behave inappropriately here and embarrass himself. I specifically instructed him to observe proper etiquette at all times and not to speak carelessly as he does at home, but to always act like an adult. After hearing my instructions, he must have been somewhat restrained in front of you, which is probably why you misunderstood.”
Wei Shao listened, glanced at her, and just smiled as if letting the topic go. He raised his hand to play with her long hair, twirling it around his fingers. After a moment, he suddenly seemed to remember something: “Has that Gao Bohai left?”
Little Qiao, with one cheek resting on his chest and her eyes closed, murmured, “He left last month. He came to the mansion to say goodbye, and Grandmother even saw him.”
Wei Shao snorted: “Did you agree to let him be your guide to see the cliff inscriptions in Hanzhong in the future?”
Little Qiao was startled by this seemingly random question. After thinking for a moment, she recalled the context. It seemed that day in the Queen Mother’s Hall, during her casual conversation with Gao Heng, he had mentioned something, and Wei Shao, who had just arrived, must have overheard it. It was surprising that he still remembered after so long. She couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing and opened her eyes: “That day it was just casual talk, did you take it seriously?”
Wei Shao’s hand slowly caressed her silk-like bare body, which hadn’t yet been redressed, and he leaned close to her ear, saying, “The cliff calligraphy at Yunmen in Hanzhong, created during the previous dynasty, is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, Hanzhong is still in Le Zhenggong’s hands. If you want to appreciate it, when I take Hanzhong in the future, I’ll have the entire cliff inscription cut out and brought back home for you to see to your heart’s content.”
Little Qiao chuckled and pinched his arm hard: “I don’t want you to do such a destructive thing! If I want to see it, I’ll go see it myself in the future!”
Wei Shao raised an eyebrow slightly: “You think I’m just a brute who only knows how to fight? I started studying at five, learned painting at seven, and at the time, along with my cousin, I studied under Master Meng, who had been a professor at the Imperial Academy for twenty years. ‘Meng excels in painting in the north, Zhang in calligraphy in the south’ – how could Gao Heng and his ilk compare to Meng and Zhang? Surely you’ve heard of the name ‘Northern Meng’?”
Little Qiao held back her laughter and said seriously, “I apologize for my disrespect. I didn’t know you had such hidden talents. Had I known, we should have troubled the Lord to personally paint the murals in the Queen Mother’s Hall. Perhaps they could have been passed down through the ages, achieving fame for your painting skills.”
Wei Shao laughed, “You think I’m lying to you? I studied for two or three years but lost interest and stopped midway. My cousin studied longer than I did and could paint extremely fine portraits. It’s just that few people know about it now. I think I still have a few of my practice pieces from those years in my study. If you don’t believe me, I’ll bring them for you to see.”
Little Qiao kept pushing him: “Alright then, go get them and let me see the Lord’s youthful mastery of the brush.”
She spoke with a smile, urging him repeatedly.
This was the first time Wei Shao had seen her display such a natural and lively demeanor in front of him. With her long hair spread on the pillow, her eyes smiling, her expression so charming that it was almost indescribable. As she pushed his shoulder with her jade-like hand again, he felt as if his bones had lightened by two ounces. How could he resist such provocation? He immediately flipped over from the bed, jumped to the ground, and started dressing while saying, “Wait for me to bring them for you to see! I’m not boasting, but Master Meng praised me for having talent back then. It was just that I became impatient with learning, which is why I stopped midway! Although I don’t hold a brush now, I can still distinguish good paintings and calligraphy!”
Little Qiao lay on the pillow, supporting her chin with her fists, smiling as she watched him casually put on a robe and hurriedly leave the room. Left alone on the bed, she thought of Wei Shao’s self-praising expression when he claimed to understand painting and calligraphy, finding it increasingly amusing. She rolled over, pulled the covers up to hide her face, and giggled to herself.
Little Qiao waited for a while, thinking Wei Shao should have returned with the paintings, but he didn’t come back. She gradually became puzzled and was about to go check on what he was doing when she suddenly heard footsteps at the door. At first, she thought it was Wei Shao, but upon listening closer, it wasn’t. The door was then pushed open, and a maidservant entered, bowing to say that the male lord requested her presence in the study.
Little Qiao dressed herself, looked in the mirror, and lightly combed her loose hair with her fingers, tying it loosely at the back of her head with a ribbon. She then headed to the study. At the door, she pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw Wei Shao standing with his back to her in front of the shelving unit on the western wall. She smiled and said, “Didn’t you say you’d bring them for me to see? Why did you ask me to come…”
Wei Shao slowly turned around, and Little Qiao was slightly taken aback, her smile freezing on her face.
She saw that Wei Shao’s face was cold, his gaze devoid of any warmth, completely different from how he had been in the bedroom just moments ago as if he had suddenly changed faces.
Little Qiao hesitated slightly, her smile fading, but she still stepped into the study and walked a few steps toward him, tentatively asking, “Did you call for me just now, husband?”
Wei Shao looked at her for a moment and said coldly, “Did you touch this box of mine?”
Little Qiao glanced at the compartment.
What he was referring to was the box she had taken out and looked at briefly a few days ago when he had gone to Zhuo Commandery and forgotten to take a set of bamboo slips, sending someone back to fetch them.
She remembered putting it back exactly as it was, but she hadn’t expected him to notice that it had been touched. She suddenly felt very regretful, regretting that she hadn’t heeded his initial warning that day, and now she had created an awkward situation for herself.
Little Qiao lowered her eyes and said softly, “It was indeed my fault. That day when you sent someone back to fetch the bamboo slips, I came here and happened to see it. Out of curiosity, I picked it up for a moment…”
She felt truly ashamed of her actions, her face slightly flushing.
“But rest assured, I didn’t open the box…” she took a breath and continued.
“Perhaps you couldn’t open it?” Wei Shao coldly interrupted her.
Little Qiao was startled and looked up at him. She saw his gaze was icy, and there seemed to be a hint of disgust in it.
It had been some time since she had seen him look at her with such eyes. Moreover, just moments ago, they had been so intimate, and he had suddenly reverted to his former demeanor. Unprepared for this, she stared at him blankly for a moment before reacting and turning her gaze to the box. She saw that there were several obvious scratch marks on the nine-palace lock as if someone had tried to forcibly open it with a tool like a knife. It seemed they had given up when they couldn’t open it.
Little Qiao was shocked and immediately said, “I admit I touched the box at that time, but I quickly put it back. I did not touch the nine-palace lock, nor did I try to break it open!”
Wei Shao said coldly, “Who else but you comes and goes freely in my study? I remember telling you on your first day in my home not to touch this thing! Why did you still touch it? It seems I’ve been too lenient with you!”
Little Qiao’s face turned slightly pale as she said, “I was wrong to ignore your warning and touch the box. I know my mistake. But I still maintain that I only picked it up briefly and quickly put it back. As for who scratched the lock like this, I don’t know.”
Wei Shao stared at her, his brows furrowed. Suddenly, he walked past her, pushed open the door, and left the study without looking back.
As his footsteps gradually faded and finally disappeared, Little Qiao slowly turned her head to see the study’s two doors wide open, the night outside dark and quiet, with only a faint shadow cast by the candlelight on the empty doorway.
Little Qiao’s heart was beating a bit fast, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on her back. Her legs gradually began to feel weak, making it difficult to stand. Finally, she supported herself on the shelf and slowly sat down on a nearby couch, lost in thought.
After a while, there was a sound of footsteps, and someone quickly crossed the threshold and entered.
Little Qiao raised her eyes to see Chun Niang had arrived.
She came directly to Little Qiao, crouched down, held her arms, and showed a worried expression: “What happened? Everything was fine earlier, but when the male lord returned to the room, I saw his expression was not good. He dressed and left without saying a word. And now you’re sitting here alone! What exactly happened?”
She held Little Qiao’s hand and exclaimed, “Why are your hands so cold? Come back to the room with me quickly.”
Little Qiao had gradually calmed down. She withdrew her hand, stood up, and said in a normal tone, “It’s nothing serious. Just a misunderstanding.”
Chun Niang was Little Qiao’s confidante, so she didn’t hide anything from her. She briefly explained the reason for angering Wei Shao earlier.
Chun Niang was greatly alarmed and anxiously said, “If the lady says she didn’t open the lock, then she certainly didn’t! The male lord doesn’t believe you, and that’s why he left in anger. What should we do?”
“Has anyone from outside entered our western chambers these past few days?”
“I’ve been here the past few days and haven’t seen any outsiders come in or out. It was only today that I accompanied the lady to visit the old madam at the Golden Dragon Temple.” Chun Niang frowned, “Lady, please return to your room first, don’t worry. I’ll go and question everyone. Please wait for my news.”
Chun Niang wanted to help her up.
Little Qiao nodded, said she was fine, and stood up on her own, heading straight back to the bedroom.
…
Wei Shao left the western chambers and went out, then ordered someone to bring his horse. He mounted and rode directly to the government office.
As the night wind blew against his face, his previously heated forehead gradually cooled down. The image of Lady Qiao explaining herself to him in the study kept appearing before his eyes.
Usually, when she spoke to him, she always lowered her eyes, making it difficult for him to see what was hidden in her gaze. But just now, when she was defending herself, her eyes were fixed on his from beginning to end, without any hesitation, evasion, or concealment of unease.
Or rather, he couldn’t detect any hint of hesitation, evasion, or concealment in her gaze.
So there were only two possibilities. The first was that she was skilled at lying, to the extent that even he couldn’t catch the slightest flaw in her gaze. The second was that she hadn’t tampered with the nine-palace lock.
If it was the first possibility, Lady Qiao was too deep and her scheming too frightening.
But if it was the second possibility…
Wei Shao’s mood suddenly became chaotic, feeling extremely frustrated.
As he was about to reach the gate of the government office, he suddenly stopped his horse, turned it around, and returned to the Wei mansion. After entering, he headed inside, and when he reached the fork in the path, he stopped, looked towards the direction of the eastern chambers, then turned and strode away.