The Marquis Is Innocent

Xiao Qiao slowly opened her eyes. Wei Shao suddenly took her hand and got off the bed. He brought her to his study.

He enters and lights up the lamp. Xiao Qiao watched in slight confusion. She saw him take a box from a drawer, the box she knew so well and had seen just a few nights before.

Wei Shao held the box on the desk, sat behind it, skillfully opened the lid, and gestured for Xiao Qiao to come closer.

Xiao Qiao slowly walked over. Inside, there was an old banner folded neatly.

“Man Man, didn’t you always want to know what’s inside the box? It is my father’s banner. The blood on it was my father’s before he died. I have been keeping it for many years ……” Wei Shao’s eyes rested on the old banner, slowly said.

Xiao Qiao held her breath and raised her eyes, looking at Wei Shao. His gaze was distant and empty as if he had fallen into the past.

“The court ordered my father and your grandfather to attack Li Su together. Li Su was powerful. Before the battle, the two sides made an oath and agreed to attack from the east and west at the same time. My father deployed his troops out of his trust in your grandfather. At the appointed moment, my father sent out his troops as planned. He believed that your grandfather would be in place as promised ……”

His eyes fell on Xiao Qiao’s face, his hand slowly squeezed into a fist, a few veins on the back of his hand gradually protruding and bursting up.

“My father and brother’s enemy is Li Su, your Qiao family is just an infringement of trust. There are no righteous battles, no need to blame others if you die in defeat. But do you know? If, at that time, your grandfather told him to quit before the war, and my father changed the war strategy, even if he was defeated, the result may not be as bad as that day! My father and brother died alone in a chaotic arrow trap, and the 50,000 soldiers of the Wei family who were with them were all wiped out. Only a few thousand remnants returned.”

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

“Man Man, imagine, if it were you, could you be indifferent?” He said word by word.

Xiao Qiao walked towards him, knelt and held his hand, and murmured, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry–”

Wei Shao’s tightly squeezed fist slowly loosened. “It has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to apologize.” He was silent for a moment.

“Man Man, I don’t want to hide it from you. I know that the incident back then had nothing to do with your father, but until today, I still can’t get rid of my hatred for your Qiao clan. Even when I asked Wei Liang to go to Yanzhou in your name to send congratulatory gifts for your father, at that time, I only did that to make you happy ……”

“The culprit of that year’s incident, your grandfather, is dead. I guessed that my grandmother saw my hatred and obsession, hoping I would be broad-minded. It happened that your Qiao family sought favor with marriage, and that’s why she agreed to the initial marriage.”

“Whether my guess is right or there’s another hidden agenda, Man Man, my nature is vengeful and do as I please. For you, I can endure. But for me to completely let go of my hatred, it’s too difficult. In my lifetime, I may not be able to be as open-minded as my grandmother.”

He took away Xiao Qiao’s hands and got up.

Xiao Qiao slipped her hands from the back of his hands. Her eyes followed his figure and watched in a daze as he walked to the window and pushed it open, and stood with his back to herself.

“Man Man, I am not a good man. I know that from the time you married me until now, you have been trying hard. These days, you have been frightened and aggrieved. I also know that if I can’t let go of my hatred, you and I won’t be able to be true to each other.”

“Give me more time to think it over.” He turned his head back and looked at Xiao Qiao seriously.

……

Wei Shao left Yuyang the next day. At the end of July, Wei Shao took Li Dian to supervise the military of Taishan and station his troops in Zhangqiu to aim at Qingzhou. Li Chong and Zhang Jian commanded the Peidi military, aiming at Xuzhou. He himself supervised the Qiao County, aiming toward Langya. Divide his troops into three directions, intending to attack at once in separate ways.

The news spread and the world was shocked, never thought that Wei Shao openly launched an attack on Langya.

The court of Langya hastily dispatched troops and military response. Besides Wang Ba and Dong Cheng, other people spread words to criticize Wei Shao for being a rebel and acting against the sky. They called on the world’s vassals to serve the king to attack Wei Shao together.

After the Langya diatribe spread to the world, in the middle of August, Li Dian captured Changyi and quickly cut off the connection between the Langya court and Qingzhou.

At the end of August, Li Chong and Zhang Jian seized Xuzhou. In the first half of September, Wei Shao broke through Yangdu and pointed his troops directly at Langya.

The last battle was about to start.

……