Wei Shao’s desire came swiftly and urgently, catching Xiao Qiao off guard. Just moments before she turned around, he had appeared composed and restrained.
But suddenly, he wanted her, right there on the couch in his study at the rear hall of the government office.
This was certainly not Xiao Qiao’s intention when she came to the office late at night to bring him food.
After learning about the events of the past few days and seeing Wei Shao’s exhausted appearance when he returned in the evening, even without her grandmother’s hint, she genuinely felt sympathy for him and even developed a sense of tenderness.
Moreover, his grandmother was truly kind. After learning about that incident, given her position, she had every reason to despise Xiao Qiao. But regardless of her true feelings, she treated Xiao Qiao no differently than before.
Encountering such a grandmother, even if only to repay her kindness, Xiao Qiao felt she should do something.
So she thoughtfully attended to her husband’s bath and dressing, and when she saw he hadn’t returned so late, she became concerned and couldn’t help but bring him a late-night snack.
That was all there was to it.
Xiao Qiao initially resisted. After all, this wasn’t an appropriate place for such activities. But he was like a long-suppressed volcano suddenly erupting, making it impossible for her to refuse.
As soon as he entered her soft, warm, and tight embrace, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
The couch was a foot above the ground, at just the right height for him to kneel on one knee before her, propping her delicate legs high on his shoulders. Each of his thrusts sent her forward a few inches as if she were coming undone. She bit her lip and endured, her nails scratching his arms, leaving faint marks. Eventually, her lotus-like arms lost even the strength to scratch him. Her entire being was shattered by his thrusts, her consciousness drifting, her body trembling, and involuntary whimpers escaping her throat.
She remembered being on the couch at first, but later, in her hazy state, she felt him sweep the scrolls and bamboo slips off the large desk with one hand and place her on it. Later still, he carried her back to the couch, pressing down on her and taking her tirelessly.
In their previous encounters, he would often say intimate words that made her blush when he was aroused.
But tonight, he was silent, only focused on taking her, endlessly.
In the quiet courtyard of the rear hall of the government office on this autumn night, behind tightly closed doors and windows, the muffled groans of the male occupant and the whimpers of his woman could be faintly heard.
After an intense series of slapping sounds, Wei Shao panted like an ox, then rolled off her, motionless.
The two lay side by side in the middle of the wide couch.
Xiao Qiao curled up next to him, her heart still pounding like a drum. Her chest and back were drenched, though she couldn’t tell if it was her sweat or his.
She closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for her heartbeat to slow, then gently raised one arm to rest on his, saying softly, “I know about what happened with your cousin these past few days. Grandmother told me. She’s worried about you too…”
Wei Shao didn’t respond; snoring could be heard.
Xiao Qiao opened her eyes to see that he had closed his and fallen into a deep sleep.
A glistening bead of sweat, seemingly still carrying his body heat, rolled down his handsome nose from his forehead.
In his sleep, his expression finally relaxed, appearing very peaceful.
Xiao Qiao looked at him, then slowly stretched out her curled body. She sat up with some effort, stared blankly for a moment, then found her clothes from the scattered pile and put them back on one by one. When she got off the couch, her legs were a bit weak, and she almost lost her balance. She paused for a moment to steady herself.
Finally, Xiao Qiao took one of his garments and covered him with it. She blew out the lamp, picked up the food box, opened the door, collected herself, and slowly walked out, dragging her sore waist and legs.
Chun Niang and Lin Ao were still waiting for her outside the government office. After waiting for so long, when they saw her come out, Chun Niang hurried to meet her. Glancing behind her and not seeing Wei Shao, she asked about the young master.
Xiao Qiao smiled and said, “He’s still busy. He ate something, we talked briefly, and he said he’d stay a while longer to finish up his work. He told me to go back first.”
Chun Niang didn’t doubt her and took the food box from Xiao Qiao’s hands. She and Lin Ao helped her into the carriage. Lin Ao remarked, “The young master has always been diligent in his work.”
Xiao Qiao only smiled without speaking. They returned to the mansion in silence. Upon entering the western room, she told Chun Niang and the others to rest, saying she didn’t need their assistance. She went into her room, closed the door, and the smile she had been wearing disappeared, replaced by a look of fatigue. She dragged herself to the edge of the bed, sat lost in thought for a moment, then feeling uncomfortably sticky all over, she got up and went to the bathroom to hastily wipe herself down. Exhausted, she crawled into bed, buried her face in the pillow, and closed her eyes.
She just wanted to fall asleep quickly. Perhaps after a night’s sleep, she would forget what had happened in that study at the government office.
The feeling was terrible.
She could understand his emotions.
A brotherhood of twenty years had not only suddenly dissolved but had turned into enmity. What made it even more awkward was that it involved a private matter concerning his wife.
Anyone would find it difficult to accept such a situation calmly.
Xiao Qiao was also willing to understand the almost cathartic act he had just performed on her.
But at this moment, she truly couldn’t control her miserable feelings.
She closed her eyes and tried desperately to think about Da Qiao and Bi Zhi. She thought about her younger brother returning with her letter, and how her father would react after reading it. She thought about finding an opportunity to return to the Eastern Commandery in person.
Finally, she suddenly thought of Madam Xu, who had been bedridden for the past two days.
…
She had married into the Wei family in the winter of last year, and now it was already autumn of the second year.
Xiao Qiao recalled her meeting with Da Qiao in her previous life.
It was the only time the two sisters met after they were both married. At that time, Wei Shao had not yet become emperor, but his power was already unrivaled. Xiao Qiao’s husband, Liu Yan, had not yet been proclaimed as the later emperor and was not considered Wei Shao’s enemy. Wei Shao was somewhere else at the time. Da Qiao was left alone in Yuyang. So, after much effort, Xiao Qiao finally managed to come to Yuyang and meet Da Qiao for what would be the last time in her previous life.
Xiao Qiao could no longer remember everything the sisters had said at that time. She only remembered Da Qiao mentioning Su Nü, saying that Su Nü had followed Wei Shao to another city, so she wasn’t in Yuyang.
When she said this, Da Qiao’s expression was calm and unperturbed.
Then she mentioned that the next day would be the death anniversary of Madam Xu, Wei’s grandmother, who had passed away many years ago. In previous years, if Wei Shao was in Yuyang, he would always personally visit the tomb to pay his respects.
Madam Xu had been kind to her. Unfortunately, she passed away hurriedly in the first winter after Da Qiao married into the Wei family.
When she spoke of this, Da Qiao’s expression was very nostalgic.
Xiao Qiao closed her eyes and tried hard to remember, finally recalling something.
She remembered that Da Qiao seemed to have said that Madam Xu had caught a cold that autumn. At first, they thought it was nothing serious, and she was treated by a doctor and took medicine. Her condition began to improve slowly but unexpectedly worsened again, and she eventually died.
At that time, Wei Shao was away on a military campaign. When he received the bad news, he rushed back immediately, but due to the long distance and delays in sending the message, it took a full two months before he returned to Yuyang to hold the funeral.
After that incident, Wei Shao became even more resentful towards Da Qiao, blaming her for not fulfilling her duty as a younger generation to care for her elders.
It was also after that, Su Nü gradually caught his eye. Three years after Madam Xu’s death, he took her as a concubine. She attended to him and was quite favored.
…
In the darkness, Xiao Qiao could no longer sleep.
The trajectory of her previous life had already diverged from this one, starting from the day she and Da Qiao swapped their marriages.
But Xiao Qiao always felt that, mysteriously, some things might still happen in this life as they did in the previous one.
For instance, Wei Shao’s hatred towards the Qiao family. For instance, the affair between Wei Shao and Su Nü.
And for instance, the fate of the elderly Madam Xu.
Counting the days, it seemed that the time was approaching when Da Qiao had said Madam Xu fell ill in her previous life.
And more coincidentally, Madam Xu was currently bedridden.
Although in her previous life, Da Qiao said Madam Xu had fallen ill due to a cold, and now the cause of illness was different.
But the fact of falling ill was the same.
Different causes, same effect.
Could it be that in this life, Madam Xu would also not escape her destined fate and pass away like this?
Xiao Qiao’s heart pounded with fear. She was even more unable to sleep.
As she pondered these worries, she gradually forgot about Wei Shao, who was still at the government office. She tossed and turned until past the fourth watch of the night before finally falling into a confused sleep.
…
After the exceptionally satisfying and intense pleasure, Wei Shao fell into a deep sleep.
He was truly exhausted. For the past three days, he had barely closed his eyes.
Not just physically, but the anxiety and pain he felt were somewhat similar to when he received the terrible news about his father and brother ten years ago.
Wei Yan’s final decision left him utterly disappointed and hateful. At one point, he even had the thought that he would rather kill him than let him return to the Xiongnu.
It wasn’t that he feared the Xiongnu would gain an enemy familiar with the Wei family’s military intelligence and border defenses. He could overcome all of these, albeit at a greater cost. He could afford it…
He simply couldn’t accept from the depths of his heart that his relative would abandon everything here and stand on the side opposing him.
But in the end, Wei Shao persuaded himself to let him leave.
What persuaded him was perhaps the phrase “fate is unfair” from Wei Yan’s mouth.
Indeed, his elder brother had talents no less than his own, and the same burning ambition as himself.
Since he couldn’t bring himself to hand over everything here, what right did he have to prevent him from embarking on the other path he yearned for?
Whatever happens in the future would be up to fate. Just as he said in his final words when bidding him farewell, this was probably the final destiny of their brotherhood.
He woke up at the fourth watch before dawn.
Outside the window, it was still dark. The new candle that had been lit in the study earlier in the night was almost burnt out, its flame gradually dimming.
He slowly sat up on the couch. Looking down, he saw that the garment covering his naked body had slipped off his shoulders.
Wei Shao raised his hand to rub his forehead, looking around the room in slight confusion. Finally, his gaze fixed on the scattered scrolls and bamboo slips on the ground, which contained military and civilian affairs. His expression slowly revealed a trace of incredulity.
In his mind, the events of the first half of the night came flooding back.