The Marquis Is Innocent

Xiao Qiao set out for the south. She spent most of her time on the road, except for a stop at the post house to change horses and rest. After seven or eight days, she crossed the Yellow River and headed for Yanzhou.

The day she finally approached Yanzhou, she heard along the way that the army of the Marquis of Yan had crossed the border a few days earlier and must have already reached the East County.

It was a clear early summer evening when she arrived in East County. The sun was setting in the west, and the golden afterglow spilled over the boundless wilderness outside the city.

In the evening breeze, banners with the dragon painted on them waved above the tents of the army camp.

Xiao Qiao did not enter the camp immediately. Instead, she stopped far away in the north of the city and asked Qiao Ci to go and look for Bi Zhi to find out the news.

When Qiao Ci returned at dark, he looked slightly more relaxed. He told Xiao Qiao that his father had regained control of power and killed Ding Qu. He hopes to clarify the misunderstanding with Wei Shao, but Wei Shao does not seem to accept it. He was worried that Wei Shao would attack the city, so he brought his troops here to defend himself.

Fortunately, although Wei Shao didn’t want to meet the messenger, he never attacked the city. This standoff had been going on for several days.

……

On the way here, Xiao Qiao envisioned many possibilities. The most frightening scenario was that Wei Shao, in a fit of rage, would overrun East County and kill her father. If that happened, Xiao Qiao couldn’t imagine what would be the point of even rushing here like this. Fortunately, what she feared the most did not occur. The moment she learned the news, the tensed string in her body loosened.

After relief, she felt a pang of dizziness, and her body swayed. Qiao Ci hurriedly held her.

“Sister!”

“I am fine. Stay here. You don’t have to come in with me.”

……

“Lady, come with me.” Lei Ze came out and led Xiao Qiao inside.

On the way, he seemed to want to say something but finally said nothing. He led her to the tent in the middle, whispering, “Marquis is inside.”

When she raised her hand and lifted the tent door, Xiao Qiao’s mood suddenly became tense again, and her movements became hesitant.

She settled her mind, lifted it, and entered. Inside, the candles brighten up the tent.

She saw Wei Shao standing before the weapons rack, his back facing her. He was motionless, like a rock.

She stopped at the tent door, gazing at the familiar back and saying softly, “Husband, I’m sorry.”

A gust of wind burst through the gap in the tent door behind her, and the candle flame swayed lightly. Wei Shao’s magnified figure cast on the tent wall also wavered. He slowly turned around, and his eyes fell on Xiao Qiao’s face.

The two eyes met. It had been half a year since they had seen each other. Wei Shao became dark and thin at once. In his expression, there was no anger that Xiao Qiao expected.

He looked very calm. The calmness is unusual.

In Xiao Qiao’s heart, there was a dull pain in her chest. “Thank you for not attacking the East County-”

“Return. Take good care of Fei Fei. After all, you gave birth to a daughter for me. As a reward for you, I will spare Yanzhou. Tomorrow I will withdraw my troops.” He interrupted her words. The tone of his voice was just as calm as his complexion, unlike anything he could have said.

Xiao Qiao stared at him in a daze.

After Wei Shao finished, he walked toward the desk to sit down, casually flipping open a volume of documents and browsing with his head down.

Xiao Qiao stood still, motionless.

At first, Wei Shao was very calm and kept turning over the documents in his hand. Occasionally, there was a slight clanging of the bamboo pieces.

Gradually, he turned over faster and faster, and the veins on the back of his hand squeezing the paperwork became prominent.

Suddenly, with a “pop” sound, he slapped the scroll on the desk. The sound was so loud that the candle flame jumped for a moment.

“You’re not leaving? What more do you want from me before you are satisfied?” He raised his head and stared at Xiao Qiao, gritting his teeth and saying word by word.

Xiao Qiao slowly walked to his side and knelt near him.

“Husband, you actually already know, don’t you?” She looked at the hard lines of his carved side face and asked softly.

Wei Shao closed his eyes and slowly turned his head. The candle flame was cast in his eyes, causing his pupils to glow with a cold, almost translucent glaze.

“On my way here, I was worried that you had already attacked the city. When I arrived in the evening, I found that you hadn’t. At that moment, I knew it wouldn’t be because of Bi Zhi. If you wanted to take Yanzhou, you would never have stopped because of Bi Zhi. You must have known there was a misunderstanding, right?”

……

Wei Shao did not say a word.

Xiao Qiao looked into his eyes: “Before I came, when I said goodbye to Grandmother, I told her I wanted to come to see you, not to clear the Qiao family’s name. General Wei Liang’s death is still a mystery. The warriors who traveled with him innocently died. Everything is related to my Qiao family. Even if the Qiao family pays with their lives, it is not enough to heal the pain of their relatives. It is not my vain words. When I arrived and knew you had not attacked the city, I had no other thoughts but gratitude. I understand that my family’s lack of virtue and incompetence has led to many incidents over and over again. I will ask my father to hand over Yanzhou. I know this atonement is insignificant compared to the fault. You may not even care about it. But the damage has been done. My father and I will make up for it as much as feasible. Even if it is insignificant.”

Wei Shao’s expression remained cold. He shook his head.

“You have said so much, and there is one thing right. I have not yet attacked Yanzhou, not because of Bi Zhi.”

“Do you know why I decided to spare Yanzhou?”

Xiao Qiao held her breath, her heart suddenly beating faster.

Wei Shao cast his eyes beyond the tent door and barked, “Bring him in!”

Xiao Qiao raised her eyes and saw a man in a gray coat being pushed in and kneeling on the ground with a poof.

It was Zhang Pu, Qiao Yue’s strategist.

His face was as pale as dirt, trembling.

Xiao Qiao was taken aback and quickly turned her head to look at Wei Shao and saw him staring coldly at herself: “This man, you should know him, right?”

Xiao Qiao’s heart suddenly pounded wildly. She confusedly looked at Wei Shao.

From the first word Wei Shao said to her after entering the tent, she had sensed his abnormality. With something so big had happened, from Wei Shao’s point of view, the Qiao family acted as if the entire family had once again reneged on their commitment. But he only told her to go back, saying that, in return for her having given him a daughter, he would spare Yanzhou. At the time he said this, he was unusually calm. But her instincts told her this was never a true expression of his emotions. The more calm he was, the greater his anger behind it.