The Marquis Is Innocent

They were left in the bathroom.

The candle on the candlestick is burning. Releasing a warm yellow light. There is a thin mist of white in the middle of them. The atmosphere is gloomy and strange as he stares at Xiao Qiao in the bathtub.

The water in the tub was still hot, but Xiao Qiao felt cold when she immersed herself in it. Her neck is stuck to the wet long hair. The coolness in the air seems to penetrate the skin through the hair. Her bare shoulders and chest outside the water surface rise with a small goose bumps. Even the tip of her breasts under the water surface seem to sense the coolness that spreading downward.

She shrank down to make the water surface cover her shoulders. But just as her body moved, the man came over. After a few steps, “Peng”, he smashed the edge of the tub. The water surface was affected by his force and trembled. He leaned down and looked her in the eyes. With a voice that seemed to hold back his anger, he gritted his teeth and said word by word: “Do you know how many of my soldiers were lost at the Shiyi City in order to release you? Even Wei Liang, who was invincible, almost lost his life! How dare you be so bold as to conceal your secret affair with Liu Yan from me!”

Xiao Qiao’s shoulders shook, and her heart beat wildly.

Sure enough, he still knew about this! Just did not expect that it would be this fast.

The distance between them was extremely close. She even felt another burst of cold air coming towards her as he pressed down.

Her face is still wet with a layer of mist. There are water droplets are rolling down her eyebrows and fell on the eyelashes. Without bothering to wipe, she hurriedly leaned back, until her back against the wall of the tub behind her. She looked up at him and said: “Can you allow me to put on my clothes first? I will explain it to you.”

Wei Shao stared into her eyes for a moment. His eyes went down along her pink cheeks that were misted with water and swept towards the soothing curve of her chest.

Xiao Qiao followed his line of sight and glanced down. She shrank under the water again, revealing only a section of her neck.

Wei Shao saw this, the corners of his lips twisted, and revealed a mocking-like expression with obvious malice. No longer look at her. He straightened up his body, turned and brushed his sleeves and went away.

“Dress her up!”

His voice rang out, and it sounded like a roar.

Xiao Qiao held on to the wall of the tub with both hands and stood up from the water with a “clatter”. Water droplets splashed down along her gelatinous skin. The warm skin was bare in the air and form a layer of goose bumps. She shivered, and her legs seemed to be a little weak. She trembling on her hands and knees to climb out of the tub. Chun Niang came in and helped her out.

Xiao Qiao hastily wiped her wet hair, while Chun Niang helped her wipe her body and put on her clothes.

Her fingers touched Xiao Qiao and could feel the coldness as water.

“Lady …… master is furious …… It is better to let this servant stay by your side ……”

Chun Niang bowed her head and tied the sash for her. Her hand was trembling. She tried several times before getting it right.

Xiao Qiao shook her head and came to her ear: “Don’t worry about me. I can handle it. You go ahead.”

Chun Niang hesitated, and said to her ear: “Then the servant will stay outside the door, and will monitor the movement in the room. If there is anything wrong, the servant will come in.”

Xiao Qiao lowered her head and checked her lapel. She saw it was fine. She closed her eyes and fixed her mind, exhaled a long breath, and walked out.

Chun Niang followed her out. She looked at the gloomy Wei Shao across the room, bowed, and walked out. Gently closing the door with her backhand.

Wei Shao’s shoulders moved faintly.

“Husband, you would allow me to call you husband, right? I know where your anger lies, and I hope you will listen to my explanation.”

Xiao Qiao opened her mouth before he could speak and took a few steps towards him. Stopping at the side of a candlestick a few steps away from him and looked him in the eyes. Her tone is soft, and if one pays attention, one can even hear a hint of begging.

The distance between the two is just right, a few arms away. It’s not too far away, and not too close to make each other uncomfortable.

At first, Wei Shao seemed to be stunned. His eyebrows frowned afterwards, but in the end, he said nothing, and his face remained stern.

“I think you should already know the person who first kidnapped me that day in the Qiuji posthouse was indeed not Chen Rui, but Liu Yan, the Heir of Langya.” Xiao Qiao continued.

Wei Shao’s eyes narrowed slightly, said: “He followed all the way. The man had feelings, and the woman had intentions. The two of you were in love with each other.”

“When you came in and questioned me, I guessed you misunderstood. It is true I had a marriage contract with Heir Liu, but we have not seen each other for several years, and we don’t have any private communications. At the beginning of the year, he came to my uncle’s birthday. He came a thousand miles to my home. At that time, the two of us did not meet. This matter is true, you can verify. This time he suddenly showed up and kidnapped me. I was also unprepared for it. There is no prior agreement with him. Everything I said is true. If there is a single word of dishonesty, God will punish me!”

Her tone was neither fast nor slow. When she finished speaking, she looked at Wei Shao. Wei Shao also stared at her.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

His gaze was still gloomy, but she was very honest, and did not avoid it in the slightest.

Gradually, his hard and stiff face lines eased.

Xiao Qiao’s heart just relaxed a little, but heard him say coldly: “I heard that the Heir of Langya lived in the East County’s Qiao family for a long time because he had taken refuge since he was young. The two of you have been together for a long time, and you have a marriage contract, so why did you have to create this ugly situation today? Why should I, Wei Shao, who has no wife, marry a woman who has no interests in entering my family? How dare the Qiao family humiliate me like this?”

“Husband, you’ve misunderstood again.” Xiao Qiao said.

“I do not deny that I have indeed known Heir Liu for a long time. People are not like grass and trees. How can they be indifferent after a long time? But, between me and Heir Liu, it is already in the past. As I told you earlier, I have grown older in the past two years, and have become distant from him. As for the Qiao and Wei families, who are stronger and weaker nowadays, you and I both know very well. There is nothing I can’t say here. Our Qiao family wants to take advantage of your strength, which is why we seek favor with marriage. How dare we insult you? Since I already listened to my parents’ words and married you, how can I be double-minded? I sincerely entered your Wei family with a clean body and a dedicated heart. My heart is as clear as the sun and moon.”

“You have a mouth that speaks well. It’s all my fault.” Wei Shao’s face remained stern, “If you have a clear conscience, it has been many days since I rescued you from Shiyi. Why are you not telling me the truth?”

“At that time, I thought if you asked me about my abduction, I would tell you the truth immediately. But you didn’t say a word about it. You told me to take care of my wounds and there was no need to rush to the North for the time being. Then you left in a hurry. How did I have the chance to talk? The situation back then, you should have an impression.”

Wei Shao grunted, “And after coming back to Xindu? Why haven’t you mentioned anything so far?”

“Husband, during the days when I came back to Xindu, I spent my days in this Sheyang Residence and did not go out even half a step. You were so busy that I never met you after you came back. It is only now that I have been able to see your face for the first time. I know you don’t want to see me, and even if I wanted to, how would I have the opportunity and the courage to go to you and initiate such a thing?”

Wei Shao looked stunned.

Xiao Qiao was also silent. Dropped her eyes. A moment later, her eyelashes trembled. She raised her eyes, darted a glance at him, and bumped right into his gaze.

He was looking at her with a frown.

“Actually, just a few moments ago ……”

She glanced in the doorway’s direction, and her voice raised.

“I was talking to Chun Niang about this matter. I want to let you know. If I said it myself, I’m afraid you wouldn’t believe. You will be suspicious. I will not be able to explain it. I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence that you came in to question me angrily ……”

Her voice lowered and vanished. Her eyes revealing a trace of grievance. She was biting her red lips and lowering her eyes. Standing in front of him with her hands tied like a gentle lamb.

After a long time, Wei Shao’s expression eased again. Only his gaze remained sullen.

“What you said, is it true?”

Xiao Qiao raised her eyes and looked at him.

“I know you hate me in your heart, and marrying me was not your intention, and you probably never wanted to treat me as a wife. But I am different. When I left my family’s house and entered my husband’s house, I never thought there was a way back. As your wife, I should behave myself. But there are some things that a weak woman like me can’t turn around with my own strength. This time, this accident on the road, it is not my wish, but what can I do? Heir Liu’s action, although he shouldn’t do it, but it’s because he has not forgotten the past, and he still treats me with respect. But when I fall into the hands of Chen Rui, it’s like a wolf on my side. In order to avoid humiliation, all I can do is protect myself and stall the time. ……”

She paused for a moment, and her tone turned low and mournful.

“I was so desperate and scared, and nobody can give me any sympathy. Fortunately, you came on time, so I was saved from bad luck. But it was my fault that you lost your soldiers like that ……”

……

Don’t know why Wei Shao acted this way, probably because he knew Liu Yan had kidnapped her at first, and therefore he barged in with anger. Xiao Qiao was just trying to dispel his suspicions, so she wouldn’t have a hard time in the future. But in the end, remembering the fear and helplessness of being trapped in a desperate situation. The pain of being burned by candle fire when saving herself, and remembering her father and brother’s unwillingness for her when she married and left home, her nose turned sour and she couldn’t help but feel redness in her eyes.

“You were forced to marry me. If you don’t believe me, and now you think I’m harming your soldiers, you can just take me back to Yanzhou.”

She raised her voice and finished her speech in a trembling voice. It was obvious although she was holding back and biting her lip, her lower lip was pale. And a bean-sized crystal tear came out of her eyes and rolled down one side of her cheek.