Chapter 34:
Wei Shao felt a bit of a headache with his family’s affairs.
The reason for this headache is because with his own mother, even if she did something like last night, he still can’t be ruthless enough to use the same kind of killing decisiveness he is used to.
In this world, if he had to name the women he couldn’t be cruel to, there wouldn’t be more than three.
His grandmother is certainly in the list.
His mother, Mrs. Zhu.
And ……
There is no more.
Wei Shao immediately dispelled that face from the past in his mind.
Soon, he did not have the time or energy to think about the rear house’s affairs.
The city’s border hadn’t been attacked by the Xiong Nu for several years, like Shanggu.
Several years ago, King Shan Yu suffered several big defeats one after another. The last time, he led his cavalry to drive the Xiongnu a thousand miles farther, and one of the Four Corners King, the Western King was destroyed and was forced to moved once. from then on, the Xiongnu did not invade as often as before, and the border of Youzhou was quiet.
From the news reported by the spies one after another, the King Shan Yu’s health is gradually declining, the battle for the successor has become the biggest conflict in the Xiongnu royal court. Prince Tuqi, The Left King Xian, Wu Wei is the son of Shan Yu, the successor of the throne, but this prince is not very popular with the Xiongnu people, but his uncle, King Rizhu, Wu Zhu Qu, is more popular. In the king’s court, the council of noblemen, the right and left Gu Li King, the right and left Great Lieutenant, the right and left Great Household, among these important people who were the children of Shan Yu or the famous Xiongnu family, many of them began to support King Rizhu, either secretly or openly, which aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of The Left King Xian, and the fight between him and his uncle became more and more intense.
Wei Shao already knew that those Xiongnu’s troops who attacked Shanggu came from the Left King Xian, Wu Wei.
He chose to attack Shanggu during Mrs. Xu’s birthday to establish prestige among his clan, and to provoke Wu Zhu Qu, as well as to take revenge on Wei Shao, for defeating his troops years earlier.
Due to that loss, Wu Wei’s prestige suffered a huge blow, and it made King Rizhu’s power begin to rise slowly.
Wei Shao became alert because of this experience in Shanggu.
In recent years, because the border was safe, he focused most of his efforts on the war to unify the north.
It is important to unify the north, but guarding the border and defending against the Xiongnu is the foundation of the Wei family’s for generations, and its people.
What his grandfather and father had done all their life could not be broken in his hands, even if this meant that he had to postpone, or even stop for an indefinite period of time, his goal of reaching the Central China, he had no choice.
As soon as Wei Shao went out in the morning, he immediately got busy. From east to west, more than ten important border cities, such as Liucheng, Baitan, Baideng, Mayi, Sangan, etc., that were used for defending against the Xiongnu, had their military reports delivered one after another. He discussed with his generals about strengthening the guard, arranging defense, transferring soldiers and generals, and after the paperwork was finished, he went out of the city to patrol the camp, and after finishing his work this day, it was already dark when he returned to the city.
Not only it was evening, it was night.
Actually, he could have finished his work earlier, and then go back earlier.
But he personally patrolled all the fortress camps outside the city, and when he came out of the last farthest and smallest fortress camp, he returned on horseback under the moon.
It was already very late.
Li Dian, Zhang Jian and others who accompanied him thought that Marquis was taking this matter into his own hands because of the Shanggu incident the other day. This matter could have been done by them.
It is true that Wei Shao is concerned about the matter of the Shanggu.
But only he knows in his own heart that it is also because of the woman at home.
When he was busy during the day, he didn’t have time to think about what happened last night. Now that he’s going back, he’s slowly starting to feel uncomfortable. Not sure how to meet her face to face again.
When he thought about what he did to her last night,……, he thought about the sweaty and panting back when she was bullied by him, …… he thought about her complaining about why he wouldn’t release her quickly because her hands were already sore ……
Wei Shao is still riding on the horse, suddenly his lower belly is hot, similar to the feeling he had last night when he ate Mother Goddes Potion.
Therefore he does not want to meet her so soon.
What happened with her last night was too sudden.
Actually, it doesn’t matter. She was his wife, and he had the need to relieve himself, and she happened to be around. He was able to stop in the middle of the moment and treated her like that, actually he didn’t even understand what was going through his head at the time, let alone the next process that was repeated all over again.
He also doesn’t know how he held back from wanting her.
All these are nothing. What really made him uncomfortable was his own level of commitment later, which was completely beyond what he had thought.
He was caught off guard. He was not sure what kind of attitude he should use to face her in the future – A Qiao’s family daughter whom he originally married purely to be a decoration.
……
Wei Shao finally entered the Wei Manor.
It was almost midnight. Except for the night watchmen and the lanterns swaying in the night breeze, the entire Wei Manor had completely merged with the night.
Wei Shao walked into the west house, crossed the courtyard, and saw from afar the dim light spilling from the door and windows of the middle room at the end of the canal.
His footsteps were not fast, and now they slowed down even more. But he finally arrived at the bottom of the porch steps, a drowsy servant leaning on the porch pillar to wait for the door heard the footsteps, and turned around and saw him arrive back, her spirits lifted, hastily opened her eyes and stood up straight to greet him, but was stopped by Wei Shao.
Wei Shao stepped on the stairs, came to the threshold, paused for a moment, raised his hand and slowly pushed open the hidden door, and then stepped inside.
A man and a woman, yin and yang human nature, especially the husband and wife.
He thought.
……
Although the night is late. Xiao Qiao can no longer be like the old days, waiting and waiting, and finally dozed off mindlessly on their own.
The truth is, she wished she could sleep through the night, and then she wouldn’t have to look at Wei Shao’s face anymore.
In order to find something for herself to do, she finally started copying the silk scroll again. It took half an hour to copy. Her floating mood finally slowly settled down.
But the noise he made when he opened the door, although not very loud, still interrupted her thoughts that had gradually calmed down.
She finished the word she was writing, put the pen back on the pen stand, then stood up and turned around.
Wei Shao had already entered, and his figure swung by the screen for a moment, then appeared in front of her.
She took a look and immediately sighed with relief.
He looked the same as usual.
No, should say he looked colder than usual. Usually when he came in, he would at least look at her once.
Tonight she stood in front of him as a living person, he did not even sweep her out of the corner of his eye, and went straight to the direction of the bath room at a fast pace – so fast that she did not even have the opportunity to greet her as usual to say something like “husband is back” and so on.
Xiao Qiao looked at his back, and the worries that had plagued her all day today about how to face him after being intimate with him in bed were immediately solved.
It seemed that it was not even a thing in his mind.
This is the best.
Xiao Qiao exhaled a breath and turned to let the servant who had come over at the door to come in and serve the bath.
……
After Wei Shao finished changing his clothes and came out of the bath room, he finally raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Qiao.
It was the first time he looked at her tonight.
He found her exactly the same as usual, just looking at him, and when she saw he came out, her face showed a smile, and she greeted him and asked, ” Husband would you like to eat some supper?”
He thought after last night’s intimacy, she would stick towards him or show a shy look in front of him.
But she didn’t …… look any different than usual, still so “virtuous”.
As if …… she had simply forgotten how she had served him in bed last night.
Except for the last place, because he promised not to take her at the beginning, he already knows exactly what her body looks like.
It’s only been one day, and she seems to have forgotten all of it?
Or, last night’s experience, she simply did not put into her mind?
Wei Shao’s heart suddenly became unhappy. A kind of being completely ignored unhappy.
This was unusual for him.
He walked past her with no expression on his face, went to the bed, rolled over onto it, and said, “No need. Go to sleep.”
Xiao Qiao said oh, going to the door and ordering the servants to disperse and go to rest, and finally closed the door and returned to the inner room.
Wei Shao lay on his back, crossed his arms on the back of his head, closed his eyes for a moment, and noticed that she had not turned off the light and go to bed with him, slowly opened his eyes and saw her standing by his feet at the end of the bed, her eyes looking at him, so he frowned slightly and said, “What’s wrong? Why don’t you go to sleep?”
Xiao Qiao said, “Husband, there is something that has been bothering me all day. I thought I should let you know, but I was afraid you would be mad at me if you knew.”
“What is it?”
“When you came back, have you been to visit my mother-in-law’s place?”
“Not yet.”
Xiao Qiao’s voice lightened: “Mother-in-law …… was punished by grandmother today in the ancestral temple …… and do not know when she will return …… ”
Wei Shao seemed stunned, slowly sat up, eyes looking at Xiao Qiao: “What’s going on?”
Xiao Qiao bit her lip: “Because of last night’s incident ……”
Wei Shao’s gaze at her immediately became stern and gave a beat: “Did you tell grandmother?”
“It was Grandmother who summoned me for questioning.”
Wei Shao did not make a sound and frowned.
Xiao Qiao then told what happened during the day.
“…… At that time, grandmother asked me if I knew what happened in the east room last night, and said she heard that you were angry and kicked the door, and asked about the ice. I don’t dare not answer when Grandmother asks. I don’t know what happened over there in the east house, so naturally I won’t answer randomly, but I only said about getting ice over here ……”
Wei Shao stared at her, the corners of his lips seemed to twitch a little: “You said I was poisoned with an aphrodisiac?”
“No.” Xiao Qiao hurriedly shook her head, “I only said you soaked in ice, you were thirsty and asked me to pour water for you to drink, and a little bit of the things behind …… grandmother listened and didn’t ask, then I returned.”
A moment of silence.
Xiao Qiao raised her eyes and glanced at him for a moment.
He looked stiff, as if he had been slapped.
For some reason, seeing him like this, Xiao Qiao did not feel the least bit afraid, but rather had a feeling of wanting to laugh.
Considering the consequences of the previous time she accidentally laughed, this time she naturally did not dare to laugh again. She barely held back and said in a very sincere tone: “Husband, the commotion you made last night in the east room is really serious, even without asking me, grandmother herself will know sooner or later. You should think about this yourself. I know you don’t want to let your grandmother know, and I think the same as you. It’s just that what happened today was not what I expected. Grandmother specifically asked me, I really have no choice. If you blame me for talking too much, you can punish me, I am willing to accept it, I will not say anything ……”
” Enough!”
Wei Shao interrupted her, his expression slowly easing down a bit and exhaling a breath.
“It’s already been said. Did I say I blame you?”
He gave her a look and said faintly.
” Thank you very much, husband.” Xiao Qiao said softly.
The two of them were silent for a while longer.
Wei Shao looked at her again and saw her still standing like that on the floor in front of the bed, her eyes drooping.
“Go to sleep.” He finally said, lying down again himself.
Xiao Qiao replied and blew out the light.
The room went dark. The moonlight was sifted through the window paper, casting a light white shadow like water on the floor in front of the wall.
Wei Shao slightly turned his face and watched her hazy back as she stood in front of the bed and lowered her head to undo her sash and take off her outer garments.
Xiao Qiao put the outer clothes on the clothes rack, next to his clothes, then climbed onto the bed and lay down.
She had been taught repeatedly by Chun Niang that a man could sleep with his back to her in bed, but she could not turn her back to him.
She doesn’t really want to face him, so usually when she gets into bed, she’s usually lying on her back.
This is the most standard sleeping position too.
She’s actually not that obedient. Sometimes she wakes up in the morning and finds herself sleeping with her back facing him at some point.
……
Xiao Qiao fell asleep on her back, her arms resting regularly on her belly, her eyes closed, her mind thinking about some messy things, when she felt Wei Shao, lying on her side, roll over.
He faced towards her and seemed to lean over a bit. Xiao Qiao’s nerves tensed up a bit.
“My grandmother called you to ask questions during the day, and from what I heard from you, you mentioned what happened after I took a bath. What did you tell her?”
His voice came suddenly in the darkness. It was an odd tone that was a little difficult for Xiao Qiao to discern.
Xiao Qiao did not expect him to suddenly ask her this again, and she was immediately embarrassed.
” I really did not say anything …… Grandmother guessed it herself …… ” Xiao Qiao said vaguely, taking the opportunity to roll over and turn her back on him.
There was silence behind her for a while.
Suddenly, Xiao Qiao heard a slight creak from an unknown corner of the bed, and Wei Shao leaned toward her. Then her ear was hot, and he bent his face down, his lips leaning to her ear.
“What exactly did you tell Grandmother about what happened after my bath?” He asked slowly.
“That I hadn’t shared the bed with you yet and you only served me with your hands?” He sounded a little strange.
His front chest had almost pressed into her back and shoulders. Xiao Qiao’s ear was tingling and itching as his hot nose blew, and her goosebumps stood up.
Xiao Qiao hurriedly shrank her head under the corner of the quilt to avoid his mouth.
“No no! How can I say that! Don’t you worry!”
Wei Shao fell silent. Slowly lay back down.
Xiao Qiao sighed in relief.