The Marquis Is Innocent

Xiao Qiao waited on the porch, and she saw Wei Shao return. She went down the steps to welcome him and said, “Husband must be hungry. Dinner is ready. Just wait for you to come back and have dinner together.” After saying this, she secretly looked at his face.

Wei Shao stopped walking and looked at Xiao Qiao.

He had been called by his mother. He knew she had thrown the potato to Mrs. Xu against his wishes. Xiao Qiao was a little scared after all. While she waited for him to have dinner, she also figured out how to respond. She saw him looking at her. His eyes were dark, and his face was like deep water. She didn’t make a sound and waited for him to ask her again.

“Let’s eat.”

Unexpectedly, he said such a simple sentence. After saying that, he lifted his feet and went toward the dining room. As he walked passed, Xiao Qiao’s face felt a breeze sweep out of him.

Xiao Qiao was surprised and froze in place. Seeing him walking quickly, he stepped up the steps, and she hurriedly caught up with his figure.

……

These days, Wei Shao does not come very often to eat dinner. Including this time, they only ate three or four times together.

To be precise, it was Xiao Qiao served him three or four times.

The table was set on a couch, and Wei Shao sat on it. Xiao Qiao, a woman, was not as noble as he was, so she sat on her knees at the bottom of the table to serve him. When he finished eating, she could eat.

The previous times, he was eating quickly and rarely asked her to do anything. This job is not tiring.

Xiao Qiao pressed her hips on her heels in a standard sitting position.

Wei Shao was born with the right amount of muscles and bones. He is a natural clothing frame. Right now, he is sitting on the couch. Dressed in tight clothes, with wide sleeve swings along both sides of the shoulders, to match his calm demeanor. Even when he stretches his chopsticks to hold the food, he looks so smooth, like a man who came out of an ancient book that exudes elegant charm. Only he is a real person.

Xiao Qiao looked twice and then withdrew her gaze. Suddenly, she heard Wei Shao say, “Let’s have dinner together.”

Xiao Qiao was dumbfounded and looked at him. She saw he was looking at her with a pleasant face. She refused.

“It is fine. If I ask you to join me, you can join me.”

He had already ordered someone to add a set of bowls and chopsticks.

Xiao Qiao found this sudden invitation from him suspicious, especially after returning from the east house. But since he was so kind, she couldn’t refuse. She thought there would be no problem with the meal. After bowing and thanking him, she took two steps forward and sat down.

No words were spoken.

Xiao Qiao silently finished eating a bowl of rice.

It was her usual amount of rice.

She raised her eyes and saw Wei Shao had also finished eating. His hands were propped up on his legs, and he smiled. As if he had been watching her eat.

Xiao Qiao swallowed the last bite of food in her mouth and set her chopsticks on the chopstick holder. She was about to ask someone to bring water to serve him to rinse his mouth when Wei Shao said, “Add another bowl of rice for the lady.”

Xiao Qiao shook her head, “Thank you, husband. I’m already full.”

“I saw that you only ate a few bites. How can you be full?” Wei Shao said.

“It is indeed enough. That’s all I eat normally.” Xiao Qiao explained.

“That’s because you eat too little normally!” Wei Shao looked up and down at her figure, showing a hint of disgust, “it has been some time since you came to my home, but you seem thinner than before. Those who don’t know will think my Wei family meals can’t satisfy you. Eat a bowl again.”

Xiao Qiao felt like he was lying with his eyes open.

At her age, her body is nourished enough. Her body is developing. She feels it herself. Last year’s underwear was tightened. The band was uncomfortable and replaced with a new one.

But the servant has brought the rice.

Against Wei Shao’s concerned gaze, Xiao Qiao bowed her head and tried to finish the second bowl of rice.

The second bowl went down, and her stomach was already full to her chest. Xiao Qiao resisted the urge to burp and put down her chopsticks.

“Add another bowl for the Lady.”

Wei Shao’s voice sounded again.

Xiao Qiao shook her head vigorously. “I really can’t eat anymore!”

“Grandmother blamed me for treating you poorly last time. You are thin and weak. You should try to eat more.”

Wei Shao flung his sleeve and got up to add a bowl of rice personally, pressing it and bringing it to Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao looked at him. He had a smile on his face.

“Really can’t eat anymore.” Xiao Qiao said with a bitter face.

Wei Shao’s face sank.

“Eat it for me!” His voice carried the coldness of the water. “Not only this meal, starting tomorrow, eat three bowls of every meal for me! Grandmother loves you. If you don’t grow more meat, I’m afraid I won’t be able to explain when I get back to my grandmother.”

Xiao Qiao and he looked at each other for a moment, biting her lip: “Husband, I was wrong.”

Wei Shao looked down and straightened his sleeve. “Where did you go wrong?” The voice was careless.

“In the morning, Husband asked me to go to Mother-in-law’s place to pass on the message on your behalf, but I went to the north house.” Xiao Qiao looked at his face and said in a small voice.

Wei Shao said oh and his eyes seemed to smile, “Then tell me, what should be done?”

“Next time I won’t dare ……,” Xiao Qiao mumbled, burping and covering her face with her sleeve.

“There will be next time?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No, no ……,” Xiao Qiao lowered her sleeves and waved her hands. Suddenly, at that moment, there was a rush of footsteps behind him. Xiao Qiao turned around and saw a servant enter and bow. “Marquis, General Li Dian requests to see you, saying there is an urgent matter.”

Wei Shao was stunned. His expression turned sober, and he got up. Leaving Xiao Qiao behind, and walked out.

Xiao Qiao watched his departing back and let out a breath.

Tonight, Xiao Qiao did not dare to relax, so she waited in the room for him to return. And also to digest the food.

She waited until the end of the night. Wei Shao never returned. Then she could not hold it any longer, so she laid down with her clothes on.

Wei Shao did not return all night.

On the evening of the next day, Xiao Qiao learned that the Shanggu area, which had been peaceful for a long time, had suddenly been plundered by a large group of Xiongnu cavalry the day before. They killed and injured nearly a thousand people. After the Xiongnu had burned and plundered, they said it was a birthday gift for Mrs. Xu in Yuyang, and fled north.

Wei Shao heard the news. He was angry and led the cavalry to chase the Xiongnu.

……

Wei Shao led two thousand elite cavalries at high speed and pursued them day and night. They had already chased them hundreds of miles out of Shanggu and arrived at the Sangan River, the temporary border with the Xiongnu’s royal court. When the Xiongnu wanted to cross the border and return to the king’s court with the looted cattle, horses, women, and other spoils, Wei Shao’s cavalry arrived in pursuit. The two sides fought on the banks of the Sangan River, and Wei Shao himself entered the horse formation to fight the Xiongnu leader, Mo Che, who was hurt by him and captured alive. While the rest of the Xiongnu cavalry either fled or were captured and scattered in disarray. The people of Shanggu received back the cattle and horses they had taken from them, and except for a few women who were killed or wounded, most of them were unharmed. But they had been humiliated and were sitting or squatting together in disarray, holding each other hands and crying.

Wei Shao’s iron armor was stained with blood. He strode past the group of women who were crying and came to meet Mo Che of the Xiongnu.

He was so powerful that although he had been captured and his body was covered in blood, he still refused to kneel. His head held high, and he laughed at Wei Shao: “So, is the gift for your Grandmother’s birthday satisfying?”

Wei Shao looked gloomy. He raised his hand, and the sheath of his sword struck his face so hard that it broke his mouth, and half a row of teeth was broken.

“Little Wei Shao! If you dare to kill me today, in the future, the Xiongnu will repay you tenfold!”

He was in pain. His mouth was bleeding, and he was cursing in a vague and horrible way.

Li Dian, the general who had come with Wei Shao, was furious and kicked him in the knee. Causing him to fall to the ground and try to get up. But they held him down, and he still cursed “Little Wei Shao, son of a dog and a rat.”

Wei Shao dragged out the long knife at his waist. The sword blade flashed with a cold and snowy aura. With a single hand, the head of Mo Che rolled down from the neck. Blood spurted and spilled all over the ground.

There was silence all around, and even those women in the distance stopped crying.

“The remaining Xiongnu captives, regardless of their military rank, will all be executed on the spot.”

Wei Shao returned his sword to its sheath and gave the order with a calm expression.

……

The wound that Huyan Lie stabbed in his left chest that night was deep. Another half inch into it, and it would reach his heart.

In the past few days, he was tortured by his wounds, and his movements were restricted. They brought him to the place of torture with a group of captured clansmen around him. He secretly used his strength to fight to break free from the ropes. Suddenly, he felt a sudden pain in his chest and his eyes blackened. He could not stand up and fell to the ground.

He never thought that by mistake, he would be killed on the banks of the Sangan River.

Wei Shao, a young Han man, had trained a powerful cavalry that was equal to the Xiongnu. In frontal combat, the Xiongnu gained no advantage over him. On the contrary, he recaptured the area of Yunzhong and Shuofang, which had already entered the Xiongnu territory. He forced the Xiongnu to retreat hundreds of miles north to herd their sheep and horses.

His name was well known in the Xiongnu royal court. Mention this name, from the monarch, the kings, until the people. No one is without a trace of scorn.

But unlike the Prince of Tuqi, Left King Xian Wu Wei, who vowed to be the enemy of Wei Shao, King Rizhu did not have a strong hatred for this Han rival.

Perhaps it was because of the former royal concubine from the Wei family. Huyan Lie could only make such a statement.

He had already finished what he needed to do on this trip, but he didn’t expect to meet this group of people sent by the Left King Xian on his way back. After learning of the provocative intentions of the Left King Xian, Huyen Lie immediately intercepted, but Mo Che would not listen, and the two sides clashed.

Huyan Lie has always been the Xiongnu top-ranked of Thousand Cavalry Commander, with a lot of battle achievements, but on that day, he was alone with injuries. Eventually, he was defeated and captured. Mo Che wanted to take him back to the Left King Xian and thought it would be an embarrassment for King Rizhu, so he tied him up and took him to Shanggu. After the robbery, he forced him to go with him. Unexpectedly, they were chased by Wei Shao’s cavalry and the two sides fought. He became a prisoner along with Mo Che’s men.

In his life, he has killed countless people. He has killed his own people to fight for power, seize the land, and killed the Han people, Wusun people, and Hoge people ……

Dying was not a big deal. But to die like this, he is really not willing to.

Huyan Lie knew that Wei Shao’s soldiers were already carrying out the orders. Various voices mingled as the captives in front of him fell one by one. Soon it would be his turn.

He took a deep breath and was about to make one last struggle when someone behind him stomped on his body, and then a voice he knew rang out: “This Xiongnu has a grudge against me. I will kill him with my own hands.”

Wei Yan spoke to the lieutenant who had been ordered to carry out the execution order.

When Wei Yan gave his voice, the lieutenant obeyed and handed the man over.

Wei Yan dragged the motionless Huyan Lie to the edge of the Sangan River. No one was near. He used the tip of his knife to pick open the rope that bound Huyan Lie.

Huyan Lie was grateful. He struggled and kneeled towards him: “Young master, what happened in the upper valley, was done by Left King Xian ……”

“Go back.”

Wei Yan did not hear it out. He turned around and left in stride.

……

Wei Shao returned on the fifth night after he left.

Mrs. Xu was very happy and met Wei Yan, Wei Shao, and his entourage. After being reassured and seeing they were exhausted, she ordered each of the brothers to rest early.

When Wei Shao returned to the west house, it was already dark.

Xiao Qiao met him outside the door of the west house.

He had not taken off his iron armor. As he stood there, the servant took off his armor and looked at Xiao Qiao with two eyes.

Xiao Qiao hesitated but went to him and lifted her hand to help him remove his armor.

When the servants saw this, they retreated.

They were close enough to each other. As she untied his armor, she smelled a dried odor of mixed dust and blood on his body, which was rushing to her nose.

She felt as if there were two gazes above her head. Raising her eyes, she saw he was looking at her with his head bowed.

Xiao Qiao’s two rows of eyelashes fluttered a bit. She bit her lips and lowered her eyes. After holding her breath, she finally helped him untie the heavy armor and step back without making a sound.

Wei Shao unloaded his armor on the ground and left with a middle coat stained with dust and blood. After looking at Xiao Qiao, who had already left him, he turned around and went into the bathing room. When he came out, he changed into loose clothes with sleeves fluttering. His black hair was secured with a jade hairpin on top of his head. His posture was elegant and different from his previous appearance when he just came back.

“Husband, do you want to eat?”

Xiao Qiao asked him.

Wei Shao touched his stomach. He nodded his head and turned to go to the dining room. Xiao Qiao followed up to serve. When she reached the door, she saw Old Jiang from the east house coming. With a respectful look, she bowed and said the madam had prepared a meal on her side and asked the Master to come and eat.

“The Madam is concerned about the Master. She cooked it herself. She hopes the Master will come.”

Wei Shao hesitated and turned his head to look at Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao said, “Since Mother-in-law has prepared a meal Husband should go over. I am fine here.”

Wei Shao said nothing and stepped towards the east house.