The Marquis Is Innocent

It takes half a month to travel from Xindu to Yuyang. Mrs. Xu sent Old Zhong here to prepare for the wedding. Now the wedding is over and the Lady will go north with her.

The person who escorts the lady to the north is Wei Liang.

Wei Liang has a deep hatred for the Qiao family. When Qiao Ping, Xiao Qiao’s father, came to the Wei family to offer condolences, he was the one who took the lead in pulling out his sword and raging against them in the hearth. He has no good feeling towards Xiao Qiao. When he first saw her, he defined her as a ‘disaster’. Now he has to send her to Yu Yang. His heart is reluctant. But Gongsun Yang sent this task to him and he can not refuse. He understands in his heart, this Qiao family girl, although destined no one will see her in the future, but since the Lord married her, it means she is still useful, so he agrees.

Wei Liang prepared the carriage and horses, ordered the attendants, and had them carry Xiao Qiao’s trousseau out and put it in place, and then waited outside the door of the residence.

Xiao Qiao didn’t let anyone wait long. When she was done, the sun had only risen to the roof.

She came out of the new room in the Sheyang house with Chun Niang and some maids.

Chun Niang was holding her breath since morning.

If at last night’s wedding, Xiao Qiao’s clothes and makeup matched her status as the wife of a ruling marquis, favoring a modesty and grandeur that was older than her actual age, then now, apart from the required extravagance, it was more about highlighting her original beauty and poise.

Xiao Qiao was raised by Chun Niang. No one knows better than Chun Niang about how beautiful she can be.

Chun Niang combed a bun for her, her long hair all high on top, decorated with Xiao Qiao’s favorite jade hairpin, and a pendant with a southern pearl on the side of her temples, no more ornaments. Her face doesn’t need much powder. If the powder is thick, it hides her original charm. Yesterday, Chun Niang put on thick makeup for her because of the wedding. This morning, she draws her eyebrows, and a bit of lipstick, both cheeks puffed on a layer of fragrant powder. Her face is bright and attractive enough.

Chun Niang knew the tight Quju (*) that swept down to the ground showed off Xiao Qiao’s beautiful body. She had served Xiao Qiao in her baths and was most aware of the changes in her body. Last year, after she had her first period, she watched her transform day by day. Her breasts had been puffed up like a flower. Her beauty differed from a mature woman, and it was hard to describe it unless you saw it with your own eyes.

T/N : Quju (*) traditional chinese clothes from Han Dynasty.

Xiao Qiao’s body shape is petite. Unlike the women here, most of them are tall and robust. She has just reached the age of maturity, her body is not yet fully grown. The six layers of wedding dresses inside and outside last night covered her exquisite figure. Not like those women who sneered behind said she was as thin as a bone and could not please the Marquis.

It’s your marquis Wei, who missed the opportunity to know it himself, okay?

Chun Niang couldn’t help but criticize again. She chose a light red color for Xiao Qiao, after wrapping the body, tied the waist with an embroidered belt, revealing a soft silver light tasseled crepe skirt, after finishing the clothes, because the day is cold and windy, she added a cloak with a soft fur hat. The cloak has no accessories, only a branch of spreading calyx plum embroidered on the side. If the wind is strong, then she could wear the hat to keep warm, simple and elegant without losing its beauty.

This is her favorite travel attire, from head to toe, just the right amount, neither too simple, degrading the identity of the newlywed Marquis, nor to float in the extravagant. When she walked out in the wind, she saw a dazzling appearance, with her ear pendants, dress swaying and her eyes shining. From afar, she is like the god of Luo out of the water. Her beauty is unparalleled. All the way out, the servants looked at her, and some even forgot to salute, until she was walking away, and still looking at her back, can not retract the gaze.

Chun Niang felt the blocked breath in her heart a little smoother.

After passing through the door in front, it leads to the main gate. There were several steps. Last night’s winter, Chun Niang fears there was ice on the surface of the step. She reached out to support Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao lifts the skirt and head down the steps. She felt Chun Niang stopped, and then the sleeve was pulled down by her.

Xiao Qiao raised her eyes and saw Wei Shao standing by the side of the road. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with a slim body and three locks of beard, with an emaciated face and gleaming eyes. His face looked sickly, like a civil official.

Previously, Chun Niang had already inquired and learned that Wei Shao had a strategist named Gongsun Yang, whom he relied on. Seeing this middle-aged man walking with him now, she guessed it should be that person. Look at their appearance, they are just passing by. As a result, they met with her here.

Xiao Qiao saw Wei Shao’s two eyes sweeping towards her. With no expression on her face, she paused and continued as nothing had happened. When she got close, she smiled and called out ‘husband’ to him.

The middle-aged man beside him has bowed to her, claiming his surname is Gongsun, his name is Yang, and he is the army secretary of the Marquis, speaking with a smile on his face and a very respectful attitude.

Xiao Qiao also smiled, nodded to Gongsun Yang, greeted, turned to Wei Shao and said: “Then I will take my leave. From now on, I can no longer serve you. I hope you take care of yourself.” After saying a slight blessing, she turned around and left.

Wei Shao seemed stunned. His brow frowned. His gaze fixed on her back.

Although Chun Niang was dissatisfied with Wei Shao in her heart, she still didn’t dare to be slack on the surface when she met him. Seeing that Xiao Qiao had left, she bowed to Wei Shao to greet him, then glanced at the man whose surname was Gongsun again, turned around and chased after her.

“Lord, are you not going to send the Lady out of the city?”

When Xiao Qiao’s figure is fading away, Gongsun Yang advised again: “In my opinion, it is better for the Lord to send her out of the city. A marriage is an alliance. Although the world is getting worse, but the Lord’s marriage makes the people happy, this is human nature. The wedding is held yesterday, but today the lady will go to the north. It can be argued that the war is tense, but there are only a few steps on the way out of the city to see her off, and the Lord can’t afford to skip them, no matter how tedious your affairs are. If the Lord does not send, I am afraid the people in the city may become suspicious.”

……

When Xiao Qiao left the gate, Wei Liang and Old Zhong came to meet her. She got into the front carriage, and Wei Liang and Old Zhong were in their places, about to leave, when they saw Wei Shao coming out and hurried to meet him.

“Prepare the horses. I’ll send her out of town.”

Xiao Qiao was already settled in the carriage when she heard Wei Shao’s voice. Out of curiosity, she couldn’t help but poke up the curtain and glance. He seemed to notice the peeping eyes from behind him and turned his face to look at Xiao Qiao’s carriage.

Xiao Qiao shrank back and “snapped” the curtain down.

……

The carriage and horses set out on the street.

This hour, the people on the street increased. Passers-by saw a line of carriages coming from Xin Palace, with a large carriage in the middle, with an entourage of guards before and after. Wei Shao was also on his horse. They gathered over, calling him Marquis. After passing a street, there were more people. The news somehow spread, saying the middle carriage is the newlywed wife of the marquis. The marquis can only send her to the north on the day after the wedding because of the war tension. Although they could not bear to part, but had no choice. And he sends her out of town. The people became excited, and some saluted the Lady in the carriage who did not show her face, and the rest of the people followed suit.

Xiao Qiao sat in the carriage and heard the passers-by outside the carriage paying tribute to her and also shouting to wish her a smooth and safe journey.

In this age, the Confucian rituals of male superiority and female inferiority and preventing women from remarrying, had been advocated by those in power. But the world was still enlightened than it was later, and there was no restriction that a noble woman should not show her face. In Yanzhou, when Xiao Qiao’s mother was still alive, every year in March, she would take Xiao Qiao to the Temple of the Flower Gods to attend the Shangsi Festival, which was one of the most important festivals.

Hearing the growing clamor on both sides, Chun Niang rolled up the curtains on both sides, and nodded with a smile to the people on both sides of the road herself.

The people of the city did not know about the old affair of Wei and Qiao. Because Wei Shao has won the hearts of the people, the Marquis’ new wife has the same good feelings. The next day after the wedding, the couple will be separated and all the way to see her off. When she showed her face, sitting in the center of the carriage, elegant, immortal posture, and smile like a breeze, everyone had a feeling in their hearts, and immediately cheered out. Regardless of gender, all the way chase after the carriage, all clustered on both sides of the carriage on the road, just to see her more.

Xiao Qiao showed up at first to greet the people with a smile, but only out of her own duty as the wife of the ruler. She didn’t expect to attract so many people to follow her all the way. Seeing there were still people running in this direction in the distance, she was afraid there would be more people, so she shook her hand to the people nearby to show they didn’t need to see her off, and lowered the curtain of the carriage.