The Marquis Is Innocent

Wei Liang was sent back to Luoyang by Dong Mao, the governor of Xu Di, adjacent to Yanzhou. Although the imperial physicians at the palace did their best to treat him, he couldn’t survive the blood loss and was in a coma for many days.

Three days ago, Wei Shao returned to Luoyang.

During these days, he did not sleep and stayed by Wei Liang’s side until his worn-out hand from holding a sword became cold and stiff. When the doctors saw this, they were terrified and knelt.

Gongsun Yang, Wei Quan, Zhu Zeng, and others have been waiting outside, not daring to enter. The next day at dawn, they finally heard a heavy footstep from the inside. The crowd saw Wei Shao appear with eyes full of blood.

Gongsun Yang suppressed his uneasiness and hurriedly greeted him, saying: “Lord, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. The Qiao family would not be able to–”

“Pass my order to gather the troops. Lei Ze and Tan Fu follow me to destroy Yanzhou. For the rest of us, stay where you are and wait for orders! If anyone moves without permission, I’ll punish them!” Without listening, Wei Shao said word by word, hoarsely. Then, he took a big step and left.

……

The day Xiao Qiao learned the news, her daughter was almost two months old. She was even more beautiful than when she was first born, like a little snowball, and when she smiled, her slithery eyes seemed to be blooming with all the flowers in the spring garden.

Mrs. Xu loved her so much that she had to hug her every day after she was full for months and tease her to talk. The Wei mansion, which was a bit empty, was filled with laughter and life as Fei Fei was born and grew up day by day.

It was a beautiful early summer afternoon. Xiao Qiao was waiting for Mrs. Xu, watching her put Fei Fei to sleep.

Fei Fei is a very energetic little one. Having had enough to eat, she closed her eyes, which already had long, curly eyelashes, and slept quietly in her grandmother’s arms.

Mrs. Xu couldn’t turn her hand for fear of disturbing her, so she got up, carried her into the inner room, put her on the bed, and covered her with the blanket.

“Did you receive any letters from Shao’er recently?” Mrs. Xu came out and asked Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao shook her head.

Mrs. Xu pondered and then smiled: “I think it must be because the Luoyang side of things is busy, so Shao’er got stuck. That is why he is late to return. Don’t worry about it. I’ll send a letter to ask about it.”

She sent a letter after giving birth, but there had been no reply from Wei Shao. The battle of the Yellow River has ended. Even if Wei Shao is too busy to return, he should be able to send a letter of reply. There was indeed something unusual.

Xiao Qiao knew that Mrs. Xu was worried that she was worried about having a daughter who would not be pleasing to Wei Shao. Like Mrs. Zhu, she said nothing but couldn’t conceal her disappointment.

She felt grateful and was about to say something when suddenly Old Zhong hurried in from outside and said, “Lady, Mr. Qiao is here.” She paused, “Mr. Qiao seems to have an urgent matter.”

Xiao Qiao was surprised. It had been a long time since she had met her brother.

At this moment, she suddenly learned that he had arrived in Yuyang, which should have been a surprise. But her heart thumped and sank as if something had happened. Something bad. She immediately looked at Mrs. Xu.

Mrs. Xu nodded: “Go.”

Xiao Qiao hurried back to the east room and was increasingly surprised to see Qiao Ci.

Qiao Ci hadn’t closed her eyes for several days and nights in a row, dusty, with red eyes, haggard and anxious.

As soon as he saw Xiao Qiao, he immediately pounced on her. “Sister! Something is happening in Yanzhou! Mr. Gongsun told me to come to you!”

……

During these two months, Xiao Qiao also gradually felt something was wrong. Wei Shao shouldn’t have been late in returning after the war was over.

However, she could not have imagined that Yanzhou had undergone such a radical change. Her father’s life was unknown. Her uncle Qiao Yue not only joined Liu Yan in the name of her father but also killed Wei Liang, who was celebrating her father’s birthday, causing Wei Shao to attack Yanzhou. No one dared to stand in his way. The governor of Xingyang, Chenliu, and other places gave way one after another, and the army seemed to pass through no one’s land.

“Sister, after I left the city, I went to ask my eldest brother-in-law for help. I thought the Allied forces still surrounded my second brother-in-law. It turns out that Liu Yan had already prepared to send Qingzhou soldiers to attack Lingbi. The eldest brother-in-law couldn’t arrive in Yanzhou in time. After we arrived at Yanzhou, we learned that Yanzhou had fallen into Liu Yan’s hands and that General Wei Liang had died. The second brother-in-law sent his troops to Yanzhou and asked the eldest sister-in-law not to interfere, or he would treat him as an enemy. I went to see him and tried to explain the situation, but he did not want to meet me. My second brother-in-law refused to see me. Mr. Gongsun, the military advisor, instructed me to come and ask you to think of a solution!”

Xiao Qiao’s heart jumped wildly, and her face suddenly lost all its blood. After settling down, she soothed Qiao Ci and asked someone to take him down to rest for a while. Then, she immediately went back to the north house. Once inside, she kneeled before Mrs. Xu and did not move for long.

“Is something wrong? Get up and talk slowly.” Mrs. Xu’s voice sounded above her head, as calm and steady as ever, with the power to soothe the panic in her heart.

But at this moment, Xiao Qiao could not raise her head. She also had no face to raise her head.

“Grandmother, General Wei Liang died. My Qiao family killed him.” She said, holding back the tears that were about to come to her eyes.

The room suddenly fell silent. Xiao Qiao kept kneeling, touching the ground with her forehead, motionless. After a long time, she heard Mrs. Xu’s voice, which had become a bit raspy, ring out again, “Raise your head! Speak!” The sound had turned slightly harsh.

Xiao Qiao straightened up and recounted what she had heard from Qiao Ci.

“Grandmother, Liu Yan manipulated the situation, using my uncle and father’s estranged relationship to control Yanzhou. My father’s life is still unknown. I am afraid there are many misunderstandings in between. My husband is angry and has sent troops to Yanzhou to strike back. My brother begged to see my husband, but he refused to see him, so he had no choice but to come to Yuyang for help. I begged Grandmother to allow me to go to Yanzhou and meet with him to explain the situation. I am not trying to clear the air for the Qiao family. General Wei Liang and others died because of the Qiao family, and even if the Qiao family paid with their lives, it would not be enough to heal the pain of their relatives. There is nothing I can say. I hate Liu Yan for his evil intentions, and I do not want to let him succeed in his treacherous plans! Grandmother, please take care of Fei Fei for me for a few days. I will leave as soon as possible!” She bowed her head again.

“Go. Let Mr. Jia escort you there as soon as possible. I will take care of Fei Fei.” Mrs. Xu said slowly.