The Marquis Is Innocent

Although Wei Shao had been plotting against Shiyi for a long time, but his attack was sudden and without proper preparation. He suffered from loss as well. In this fierce battle, it was all based on the combat power of the soldiers who had been trained for many years through, plus his leadership in the army, that made him win. As soon as he settled it, there were a lot of matters at hand to be dealt with. Even though he had doubts about the details of the day Xiao Qiao was kidnapped, he was busy and had no time to spare, so he suppressed it and paid little attention to it.

It all started today. They escorted a group of prisoners from Shiyi. One of them was a close associate of Chen Rui who escaped from Chen Pang’s knife that day, and in order to save himself, he said that he and other people followed Chen Rui to snatch Wei Shao’s wife from Liu Yan in the middle of the road. When Wei Shao got the report, he asked people to inquire and knew Xiao Qiao and Liu Yan, the Heir of Langya, had a marriage contract in the past.

The marriage with the Qiao family was something he did not care about. He never had the idea that he would share the same bed or the same grave with her. When the marriage was discussed, he didn’t ask about it, and he didn’t ask anyone to inquire about it. Whether the Qiao’s daughter was beautiful or ugly, and how her virtues were, he didn’t care at all. As long as the one who came over was the Qiao’s daughter. So, he didn’t know that Xiao Qiao had a hidden love affair with Liu Yan in the past. When he found out, he felt unhappy. He did not expect Liu Yan kidnapped her first, and only then she fell into the hands of Chen Rui.

His newlywed wife was kidnapped and taken into Shiyi. Even if he did not care about his wife’s death, but as long as there was still a breath of air, he could not be indifferent. It forced him to attack Shiyi without thorough preparation. Although he snatched back his wife, and also seized the city, but his own losses also exceeded his original expectations, which is not light. He thought how Xiao Qiao is still connected to Liu Yan, and Qiao’s family insulted him, and with his usual sense of authority, how could he bear this anger? He was furious and rushed straight here to make trouble.

The Qiao’s daughter pleaded her innocence, which was also in his expectation. What he didn’t expect, he had listened to her plea, and with her words, the anger that emerged in his heart subsided, and his gaze also fell on her.

Xiao Qiao was in a hurry to get out of the bath. She was wearing a white robe, with her long hair falling over her shoulders because she hadn’t had time to tidy it up, and the tips of her hair were still dripping water. The water marks spread, soaking the shoulders and clothes on her chest, clinging to her body. On her shoulders, there were some hidden curves and a heaving silhouette.

Wei Shao’s line of sight was fixed. Suddenly, before his eyes appeared the scene in the bathroom a few moments ago, when he leaned down to question her and she shrank underwater, but he already saw it.

Seeing that she looks intimate at the moment, and very different from her usual attitude in front of people, a faint sense of strangeness arose in his heart. He drove out the scene printed in his mind, raised his eyes, and saw that her cheeks were stained with tears. Somehow, he heard frustration in her last words. Thinking that he did not restrain himself when he barged in just now, he should have terrified her, and he could not help but feel regretful. Frowning, he said in a loud voice: “Where do you get so much nonsense? When did l say I’d divorce you?”

Xiao Qiao turned her face and raised her hand to wipe away the teardrops on her face. She did not speak.

The room fell silent.

Wei Shao saw she no longer turned her face towards him. Her eyes stared at the candlestick on the table, as if it was looking at a flower. He suddenly felt uninterested. He hesitated and said, “You should wipe your hair and go to bed early.” He turned around and walked away.

Once he left, Xiao Qiao’s tensed shoulders loosened down. She released a long breath and leaned against the table with some fatigue.

……

This night’s storm has passed and everything is the same as before. Two days later, Old Zhong sent Xiao Qiao some gold and silk, as well as two plates of peaches and crystal pomegranates, which are rare in the country. Old Zhong said Marquis sent it.

Xiao Qiao was surprised. She guessed it was a bit of amends from Wei Shao for that night. She smiled in response and let her tell the Marquis that she was grateful.

Chun Niang was asking the maid to take the gift and thanked her.

“Lady, the old madam is old and needs to be served by a servant. This maid will leave tomorrow to go back first, so I cannot serve you anymore. You can stay here for a few more days, and you can return to the north with Marquis. Then you can pay your respects to the old madam.”

Before she left, she said this. Her attitude was like before, still cold and aloof. But it was the longest sentence Xiao Qiao had heard from her in the past few days, and she noticed that in Old Zhong’s words, there was no mention of another woman in the Wei family in Yuyang, Wei Shao’s mother, Mrs. Zhu. She said a few words of blessing.

Old Zhong said goodbye to her and turned to leave.

……

It’s not like Chun Niang never seen the world, but she was pleased with the pile of things Wei Shao sent to her. She said that in two days she would use the silk to make a new set of clothes for her.

“I already have enough clothes, and I wouldn’t have had time to wear them, so no need to make any more.”

Xiao Qiao was absent-minded. As she said, she grabbed two peaches and put it in her palm, rolling and playing with it.

“Fine, then wait for a while.” Chun Niang ordered the maid to put away the gold and silk. “This servant will help you peel the peaches and pomegranates. Marquis Wei is very kind. In the past, in the East County, it was rare to see such delightful peach and pomegranate in winter ……”

“I don’t like these!”

Xiao Qiao threw the peaches in her hand back onto the plate.

A peach jumped and rolled out of the plate, swirling around on the table.

“You guys share the food.”

She patted her palm and turned to Chun Niang and her maids, who were looking at her in surprise.

……

Although he lived in the same place, Wei Shao did not come to Sheyang Residence after that night. Sometimes Xiao Qiao would walk in the courtyard and meet him by chance, but he was always in a hurry and his attitude was cold. If she couldn’t avoid him and greeted him, he would just give him a casual “hmmm” and never say much.

Wei Shao did not restrict Xiao Qiao from going out. But Xiao Qiao didn’t go out once. Her life remained monotonous, and her only pleasure was to climb the Tantai every day at dusk to look down on the city and beyond the city walls.

Sometimes, standing at the top of Tantai, Xiao Qiao would see a group of people that looked like Wei Shao’s going in and out of the city.

He seems to be busy, busy like a dog. Xiao Qiao thought in her heart.

The days passed day by day, and the weather became warmer. Although still can not take off the heavy winter clothes in the morning and evening, but when the wind blows, it’s no longer cut like a knife. The glacier melted, and the gray and dull courtyard of the Sheyang residence also flushed out a few green spots.

When Xiao Qiao discovered that the begonia’s branches were sprouting new buds, Wei Shao dispatched someone to deliver a message to her, telling her to pack her clothes and prepare to leave for the north in the next two days.

Madam Xu’s 60th birthday was coming up.

He needed to go back and celebrate his grandmother’s birthday.

……

Three days later, Xiao Qiao sat in the carriage that wobbled over the green stone road. Leaving Xindu to take the road north, towards Yuyang.

The journey was smooth and no more accidents happened.

Half a month later, the group arrived at Yuyang County.

There is a mountain to the northwest of Yuyang City, called Mount Yu, and the city is located in the south of the mountain, so it is called Yuyang. In ancient times, it was also called Wuzhongyi. Although the city is small, mountains surround it on three sides, so it is not as windy and cold as other places in winter, and it is like living in Jiangnan. The Wei family has built a garden in Wuzhong City, where Mrs. Xu lived last winter and she has not yet returned to Yuyang.

Since ancient times, Yuyang has been a place of military garrison. Hundreds of years ago, when the Yan built the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu, the wall passed through the side of Yuyang.

From the time of Wei Shao’s grandfather, Wei’s family moved from Fangyang to the northern part of Yuyang to protect the city and frighten the Xiongnu. For several generations, the city was secured. In Wei Shao’s generation, the powerful Yi Xie Mo Shan Yu King would not dare to clash head-on with Wei Shao’s army. In the past, Xiongnu troops had poisoned the area around Baitan and Shanggu. Now, the area became free of battles for many years and the people settled down.

On the day of Xiao Qiao’s arrival, the spring sun was shining. As the carriage approached the city gates, she looked outside the window. Seeing the distance ahead, under the clear blue sky, the city wall is towering and destroying the clouds, like two majestic black dragons, crouching along the east and west, and can not see its end.

As she got closer, she saw they built the walls with huge stone, nearly three feet high in green and black, as solid as the Great Wall. Above the gates of the city, it is not the usual style of pagoda, but like an enormous square tower. The towers stretching along the walls, one every few dozen feet, and slightly smaller than the gates. Four corners of the tower flags fluttering. There are soldiers in armor on the watch. Under the sun, the spearhead is flashing.

The news of Marquis’ return to the city was brought through the scouts. The city gates immediately opened wide, and a large line of armor-clad soldiers poured out of the city, lining both sides of the road. After exchanging pleasantries with the generals, Wei Shao led them into the city. All along the way, the soldiers saluted and shouted, “Marquis is back”, with a voice like a deep thunder, shaking people’s ears and drums. After entering the city, when the people hearing the news, they ran out of their homes to welcome them, and all the way over to the marquis’s residence.

His mother, Mrs. Zhu, did not know the exact date of Wei Shao’s return to the city, so she was not at home today. The steward said that Mrs. Zhu had taken Zheng Shu to the Wu Zhu Temple on Mount Yu and they were still at the temple. He had sent someone to inform, and he thought they would be back soon.

Mrs. Zhu believes in witchcraft, and in recent years has become obsessed with it. She befriends the temple’s witch master so well that she used to invite her to her home and worship her as if she were a god. She knew her son did not like it, so she went to the witch temple by herself instead. Although Wei Shao was disgusted, but his mother refused to listen. He was busy with military affairs and rarely stayed at home. He could do nothing about it, so he had no choice but to turn a blind eye and let her go. He just entered the house and heard his mother go to the Temple again. He frowned and ordered the steward to send the lady to the rear house.