Wei Shao fell silent. He stood while she sat upright. He looked down at Xiao Qiao, but she kept her eyes lowered and didn’t look at him. Though only a small table separated them, they both seemed lost in their own thoughts. The room was filled with a deathly silence. Wei Shao could almost hear the sound of blood rushing through his chest and his heart pounding.
A night breeze crept in through a crack in the corner window, causing the candle flame to flicker. Wei Shao’s shadow on the opposite wall wavered along with it. This finally brought a hint of life to the room. Wei Shao’s shoulders moved slightly with his shadow, and he was about to step towards her when Xiao Qiao stood up from the couch and looked up at him, saying softly, “It’s really late. Let’s rest.”
She got off the couch and walked past Wei Shao under his watchful gaze, going to the door and opening it. She quietly instructed the maids to come in and help Wei Shao bathe.
…
Even in winter during military campaigns, Wei Shao bathed in cold water, let alone now in summer.
The water drawn from the deep well in the back garden was already quite cool. Wei Shao closed his eyes and lifted the entire bucket, pouring it over his head. The water flowed down his head, face, and shoulders, splashing everywhere. His whole body felt a wave of coolness, but the burning sensation beneath his skin, seemingly pricking at him with each pulse of blood, didn’t subside one bit. Moreover, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if it were blocked by a rag.
He felt terrible, absolutely terrible.
He opened his eyes. His entire body was dripping wet, water still falling from his hair and skin.
Wei Shao had a slight urge to call her in to help dry him off. Recently, every night when he bathed, she would come in to attend to him, helping to dry his hair and body, sometimes even getting intimate with him in the bathhouse.
His mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he didn’t call for her. He grabbed a towel hanging quietly on a nearby rack, roughly dried himself off, and put on some clothes before going out. He saw that she wasn’t waiting for him on the bed, but instead was standing to the side, as she used to when she first arrived here, apparently waiting for him to get in first.
Wei Shao hesitated, then walked over to her and said, “Let’s sleep, it’s late.”
Xiao Qiao smiled slightly and nodded. She went to bolt the door and lowered the two bed curtains hanging in front of the bed.
The light in front of the bed dimmed.
Wei Shao lay on his back in bed. She blew out the lamp.
There was a faint rustling sound. Wei Shao turned his face and watched as she, with her back to him in the darkness, removed her clothes one by one, leaving only her undergarments before climbing into bed.
She lay down and seemed to fall asleep immediately, not turning over once, her breathing even.
…
Wei Shao had experienced many things that day. He had ridden quickly back to Yuyang from Zhuo Commandery during the day, met Wei Yan and Qiao Ci outside the city in the evening, hosted a welcoming banquet for Qiao Ci, and then when she returned home, he had been intimate with her, then lost his temper at her, gone to the east wing, and finally, after a long detour, he had returned to lie beside her in this bed.
Wei Shao felt uneasy, but not because of physical fatigue. He was in his prime, as energetic as a male leopard in the depths of spring. He could travel for three days and nights without sleep and still appear spirited before his troops the next day.
What made him uneasy was the uncertainty she brought him.
She was just a woman. He could lift her with one arm, and her neck wouldn’t withstand his fury if he were to truly lose his temper. When he had come to the study and suddenly discovered that someone had touched the box and left visible scratch marks, he had indeed immediately thought of her and couldn’t control his anger. Because he had so clearly ordered her not to touch this box. And from the bottom of his heart, he truly didn’t want her to touch it. He had set down a rule, and she hadn’t followed it. He felt offended by her disregard.
If this were in the military and she were his subordinate, she would have been beheaded on the spot. But what Wei Shao didn’t understand was that although she was clearly in the wrong – because she had indeed disregarded his instructions and touched something he didn’t want her to – after all this back and forth, why did he now feel as if he were the one who had done something wrong?
Especially, he felt he shouldn’t have lost his temper at her so severely.
Now, every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face when he had called her over to question her. Her previously smiling, flower-like countenance had immediately lost its color, and in her eyes as she looked at him, he had seen the alarm, shame, and a pleading sort of remorse.
Wei Shao was tormented by his conflicted emotions, and gradually, a feeling akin to frustration grew in his heart.
He had stormed out in a rage, then calmed down and gone to the east wing. From his mother’s reaction, it wasn’t hard for him to judge that her self-defense was true: she had indeed touched the box, but hadn’t done anything as foolish as attempting to pry it open, which would have thoroughly angered him.
To be frank, he had felt somewhat relieved at the time. On his way back to the west wing, he had imagined that she must have been quite frightened after he had left in anger. He had also thought about what to do when he went in. Of course, he wouldn’t immediately reconcile with her, because she had indeed made a mistake by not taking his words seriously. He would let her take the initiative to reflect on her mistake again and promise there wouldn’t be a next time, before telling her that he had already investigated the matter and cleared her name.
She would be grateful for his magnanimity and his initiative in clearing her of suspicion. More importantly, with this necessary lesson, she would surely become wholeheartedly devoted to him from then on and wouldn’t dare to do anything like this again – outwardly complying but inwardly opposing. Thinking about it afterward, although he felt a bit sorry for the frightened look on her face when she was startled, he didn’t want to give her the misconception that he would tolerate any of her actions indefinitely.
This was similar to how he would deal with a subordinate in the military who had violated orders but was still needed. First intimidation, then kindness – using both carrot and stick was always an infallible method of governance.
When he came in, however, he saw her sitting calmly on the couch, her expression serene, opening the lock in front of him in just a few moves. Without needing him, she had cleared herself of the suspicion of trying to pry open the lock.
…
In this era, except for the upper class who made up a small portion of the population, the level of education available to the remaining classes was extremely limited. Even slightly advanced mathematics was far beyond the reach of the vast majority of people. Wei Shao had been extremely interested in arithmetic since childhood. When his father Wei Jing learned of this, he specially made a set of 272 jade counting rods for him, packed in a bag. Seven-year-old Wei Shao would carry it with him at all times, able to take it out and play with it whenever and wherever he wanted. The nine-square lock on this wooden box was also something he had a locksmith carefully craft in brass when he was ten years old, based on the “cosmic magic square” from the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams that had greatly interested him.
He had never thought anyone could open the lock. At least in this household, there shouldn’t be a second person besides him.
He never imagined that she would so easily open the lock in front of him.
Women from noble families would receive some cultural education before marriage, including simple arithmetic, to help them manage households after marriage, but they would never learn to the level of the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams – at least he had never heard of such a thing.
Wei Shao was, to say the least, shocked at the time, followed by a vague disappointment. He felt as if, although he had stepped through this door, he had been given a firm rebuff by her.
…
Wei Shao couldn’t sleep. He had clearly sensed earlier that although she had repeatedly apologized to him and still smiled and spoke gently to him, she had suddenly seemed to revert to the Qiao girl who had just arrived at his home.
He wasn’t a fool; of course he could sense it. He felt a tightness in his chest.
He didn’t like her being this way towards him.
He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing beside him. Finally unable to resist, he reached out his hand towards her, tentatively placing it lightly on her waist.
She seemed to have fallen asleep, not moving or reacting at all.
Wei Shao moved his arm a little further until he had completely encircled her waist in his embrace, then his body moved closer to her.
Suddenly, Xiao Qiao turned over, facing away from him and sleeping towards the inside, as if it were just an unconscious movement in her sleep.
Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, then continued to move closer to her back, finally pulling her completely into his chest. His lips touched her ear as he whispered, “I believe you now. You really didn’t tamper with the lock.”
He paused, seeing no reaction from her. Then he tightened his arm, his hand slowly moving along her waist and finally slipping inside her clothes, gently caressing her with a tender touch. His lips followed, kissing from the back of her neck all the way to her shoulder. As his chin rubbed against her, it caused her clothes to slip off her shoulder.
His breathing gradually became hot, his breath falling in waves on her exposed skin. As he tried to turn her over to face him, Xiao Qiao suddenly raised her hand and grabbed his hand, which had grown increasingly hot, removing it from inside her clothes.
“My Lord, I’m really tired tonight. May I sleep for a while?” Xiao Qiao said, opening her eyes in the dim bed curtains. She didn’t turn her head back.
Her tone was still gentle, but her voice sounded low and weary.
Wei Shao’s hand, which she had removed, paused slightly. After a moment, he let go of her and turned over to face outward.
…
The next morning, Wei Shao got up and left at the fifth watch, very early.
Xiao Qiao truly didn’t know when he had gotten up and left. She woke up as usual and only realized he was gone when she saw the empty space beside her. Not long after she got up, while she was still at her dressing table, she suddenly heard faint cries and wails coming from the courtyard outside, as if something had happened.
Xiao Qiao didn’t go out to look. After a while, Old Woman Lin came running in to tell her that the Madam had already investigated and confirmed that the person who dared to sneak into the Marquis’s study yesterday to break the lock and attempt misconduct was indeed Old Woman Sun, whom she had glimpsed before. Just now, that Jiang woman from the Madam’s side had come with people to take Old Woman Sun away. Old Woman Sun had cried and screamed, so Jiang had people stuff mud in her mouth, and in the end, she was forcibly dragged away by her feet.
As Old Woman Lin described the scene, her eyes were wide open, and she gestured animatedly, showing great indignation: “The Lady is so kind, yet she doesn’t think of repaying her master’s kindness, instead deceiving and offending against her master by doing such a thing! Heaven won’t tolerate it!”
Footsteps were heard from the doorway. Xiao Qiao looked up to see that Jiang woman approaching. Her attitude was uncharacteristically respectful. She stood outside the door, bowing to Xiao Qiao and said, “Reporting to the Lady, the Madam learned of what happened here and was extremely angry. She questioned people through the night and early this morning identified that evil old woman surnamed Sun. That old woman confessed without denial. Just now, I have already tied her up and taken her away for severe punishment. The Madam was so angry that she couldn’t sleep well all night. Early this morning, she went to the north room to apologize to the Old Madam, and has just lain down after returning. The Madam said there’s no need for the Lady to go over there for the next few days.”
Jiang left after delivering her message. Xiao Qiao finished getting ready and went to the north room as usual.
Madam Zhu had come here early in the morning and had just left a short while ago. Seeing Xiao Qiao arrive, Madam Xu, who looked somewhat tired, beckoned her to sit beside her. She examined Xiao Qiao’s complexion and said, “Your mother-in-law came to see me earlier. She said a servant had broken into a box in Er Lang’s study, and Er Lang was furious last night, demanding that she investigate. She dealt with the matter early this morning and found the person responsible?”
Xiao Qiao said, “Mother-in-law acted swiftly and decisively, catching the person who broke the lock so quickly. I’m very grateful. Fortunately, nothing serious happened this time, it was just a false alarm. I came over this morning not only to see Grandmother but also to discuss something with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“There are many maids in the west wing. I remember when I first married into the family, there were only about a dozen. Later, thanks to Grandmother’s generosity, more were sent over gradually, and Mother-in-law also sent some. There are quite a few servants, but they only serve my husband and me. My husband is often not at home during the day, and I don’t need so many people. I see that even here in Grandmother’s quarters, including those who sweep the courtyard, there are only about a dozen people. My husband and I are young and of a lower generation, so we shouldn’t be so extravagant. Especially now that this incident has occurred. I was wondering if we could reduce some unnecessary staff. Firstly, to prevent idleness, and secondly, to avoid servants causing trouble out of boredom.”
Madam Xu nodded, “That makes sense. In a family like ours, although we don’t need to worry about one or two lazy servants, if their idleness leads to incidents like yesterday’s, then it’s the mistress’s fault for not being vigilant, which is a great mistake. It’s admirable that you don’t care about keeping up appearances. You can make your own decisions about matters in your quarters, there’s no need to ask me.”
Xiao Qiao smiled, thanked Madam Xu, and sat with her for a while longer before leaving.