Bend Over [ 折腰 ] - Chapter 17

[Chapter 17: The Wrath of Wei Hou (Part 2)]

Wei Shao and Gongsun Yang separated and walked to Xiao Qiao’s residence.

The second servant woman knew that the city pool had changed hands overnight, chen Taishou and dozens of people in the whole family had become prisoners under the order, and at this time, the two of them were ordered to listen to the use here, and the boss with four eyes open did not dare to relax for a moment, lest something go wrong. Suddenly, I saw a man walking at the end of the corridor, although young, but his steps were concealed with might, and he saw the guards under the corridor marching to him, calling him “Junhou”, knowing that the husband of the female monarch in the room, Yanhou Wei Shao, had come, hurriedly greeted him, and knelt on both sides.

Wei Shao stopped, looked at the candle flame coming out of the window, and asked what was going on in the room. A reply said that after the previous Gongsun envoy and the military doctor left, the two were here to listen to the errands, and did not leave for a moment, but the female monarch in the room had not called, and should have slept.

Wei Shao walked to the door and paused slightly.

It was not false that she had been abducted by Chen Rui, but the process seemed to be suspicious, and it would be clear if she took this opportunity to ask herself.

He thought so, and his heart was at ease. So he raised his hand and pushed the door in, turned around the bed screen facing her, and saw that she and her clothes were lying on the end of the bed, covered with a cover to the abdomen, face inward, motionless, and should have indeed slept as the servant woman said.

Wei Shao went straight to the edge of the bed, and was about to wake her up, but first he caught a glimpse of the side of her cheek facing outward that seemed to have some residual tear marks, and his eyes fixed for a certain amount, so he went down and turned to her hand.

Her two hands, at this moment, the palms of her hands were lightly placed on the outside of the quilt, the palms were soft, the fingers curled into a soft natural angle, clean, like green onions, the sleeves were also folded in two, slightly stacked high, folded under the elbow bend, revealing a section of jade arms, the skin was greasy and visible, but the middle wrist was wrapped with a white circle of fine soft linen, and the dark color of the ointment oozed out, which looked very abrupt.

Wei Shao watched for a moment, and his gaze moved back to her face again.

Candlelight shone from the side, through the curtain, and half-light and half-darkness poured into her face, causing her long eyelashes to cast a quiet fan-shaped shadow on her lower eyelids. Her face was slightly inward, and he could only see half of her feminine side lines. The shadow of the candle, the beauty sleeping alone, like a begonia separated by fog, is purely for the man’s vision, it is naturally a kind of enjoyment that can bring pleasure.

Wei Shao was a normal man. Anyway, she was asleep, and it was inevitable that she would look at it again. He seemed to suddenly notice that the corners of her lips seemed to be born slightly upturned, just like at this moment, perhaps because of the pain in her wrists, her eyebrows were clearly slightly crouched in her sleep, but because of the slightly upturned two-point lips of the lips, her sleeping appearance also increased a little bit of delicacy out of thin air.

Wei Shao stared at her for a moment, and suddenly he didn’t want to wake her up. Retracting his gaze and turning to go, the little Joe on the bed seemed to feel something, his eyelids moved slightly, slowly opened his eyes, vaguely saw a figure in front of the bed shaking slightly, surprised, whispered a low voice, and the person sat up in shock.

“It’s me!”

Wei Shao stopped, turned around and said immediately.

The experience of these few days is really unbearable to look back, and if you wake up suddenly from your sleep, it is inevitable that the cup bow snake shadow. At this time, Xiao Qiao had already seen the person coming clearly and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

She guessed he should have come in some way. And nine times out of ten, it should be related to the experience of his own captivity. He didn’t say anything more, and sat there with his face slightly tilted. Look at him. Wait for him to speak.

After a while, I didn’t wait for him to speak. Seeing him gaze down, he glanced down. Slowly shrunk his hand into the corner of the quilt and covered it.

Wei Shao then shifted his gaze, turned his face slightly sideways, did not look at her, and said in a flat tone, “I came here to talk to you, so that I could heal my wounds.” Yuyang does not have to go for the time being, I will return after some time, and then I will take you back with me.

Little Joe was a little surprised. But nothing else. Just look at him and muttered softly.

Wei Shao glanced at her and turned to go out. Little Qiao heard the voice outside the door telling the servant lady to serve him, and then the footsteps gradually disappeared.

Little Joe slowly lay down again.

My heart was faint, and I always felt as if something was wrong.

Regarding his abduction, he did not ask, did he mean that he did not know that Liu Yan was the one who had originally kidnapped him?

If he hadn’t mentioned it all the time, could he have pretended that he didn’t have that and just mixed it up?

……

Beginning the next day, Wei Shao issued official documents in the city, appeased the people, and took over the Yamen, and was busy for several days without showing his face again. Little Joe didn’t go out half a step, he had been eating, drinking, sleeping and recuperating in the room. Four or five days later, the two servants who had served her came to invite her out to the carriage, and Little Joe realized that he was going to reply to the letter.

Wei Shao entrusted Shi Yi to Gongsun Yang, and Wei Liang and the wounded soldiers continued to stay and recuperate, leaving most of the men and horses to garrison, taking the rest of the song himself, and taking Xiao Qiao back by the way.

Little Joe was still sitting in a carriage that was very comfortably decorated inside. That morning, when she was leaving Shiyi City, she looked out of the car window and saw that the streets were deserted, and most of the doors and windows of the people on both sides of the road were closed, but she was sure that behind these doors and windows, there must have been countless pairs of eyes with fear or resistance that were peeking through the gap at the new owner of the city that passed through the road. Occasionally, I saw someone, but only standing far away at the alley and the end of the street, and when they had completely walked by, they gradually emerged from the corner of the unknown place, gathered together in pairs, looked at the back and whispered to each other, whispering.

When he was about to leave the city gate, a four- or five-year-old child suddenly ran out from a half-open door next to him, chasing a tanuki cat, just in time to block Wei Shao’s horse that was in front of him, Wei Shao lifted the reins of the horse, and turned the horse’s head in a hard direction, which prevented the child.

“Be bold! Who’s kid, actually let it out and rush around!
Tan Fu, another lieutenant general of the Fu army who
followed Wei Shao, lost two powerful lieutenant generals on the night of the siege, and was not happy, these days with Gongsun Yang to pacify the people, seeing that the people even retreated, lest they avoid it, the progress was not smooth, and they hated these people in their hearts that they did not know what to do, and at this time they had a seizure, and viciously pulled out their swords and roared angrily at the side.

The child was so frightened that he fell to the ground and cried. The woman in the room heard this, and only then did she find that her son had run out without being prepared, his face was miserable, and he rushed out in a hurry, hugged his son, and knelt down in front of the horse’s head, prostrating his head unceasingly and begging for forgiveness.

Wei Shao stabilized the horse, his face was also a little gloomy, his brow was wrinkled, he seemed to be holding back, and he waved his hand impatiently, and the woman knew that this meant forgiveness, and she hurriedly prostrated her head again, and ran into the door with her son in her arms. As soon as I entered, the door slammed shut.

Tan Fu looked at Wei Shao and saw that his face had returned to his previous coldness, so he sadly inserted the knife back into its sheath and continued to leave the city.

Little Joe was a little nervous at first, but fortunately, this little episode soon passed safely, and finally he let out a slight breath and lowered the car curtain.

……

Xiao Qiao followed Wei Shao and his party and returned to Xindu smoothly.

Chunniang they were earlier than Xiao Qiao and had already returned first.

Chunniang’s own daughter unfortunately fell ill and died when she was three or four years old. Since then, Chunniang has put all her mind on Xiao Qiao, treating her more important than her own life. That day was in front of herself, watching her suddenly be robbed like that, Chunniang was heartbroken, according to Wei Liang’s instructions to reply to the letter first, these days can not eat, night can not sleep, crying eyes are swollen, only a few days of effort, the original rich face has also been reduced a lot, this time finally look forward to Xiao Qiao’s safe return, at first the tears of joy are out, and when she saw Xiao Qiao’s wrist injury, she learned that she was actually in order to escape her own burn with a candle, and shed tears in pain. After some crying, laughing and crying, he finally returned to the Sheyang Residence where Xiao Qiao had lived for one night, and servedThe women reopened the boxes, laid out the utensils, and prepared to settle down.

This “new room”, which was supposed to be the bedroom where Wei Shao usually lived, seemed to have been cleaned up the day after Xiao Qiao left, and there was no longer any hint of the festive atmosphere that had been used as a “new house”. That night, Xiao Qiao rested as usual, knowing that Wei Shao would definitely not come over to share the room with him. But ChunNiang, after this incident, I don’t know what she thinks, as if there is something new in her mind, really called the emperor not anxious eunuch anxious, until very late, Xiao Qiao went to bed early, she still stayed up and refused to go to sleep, until the maid who was bribed by her with money to work in Wei Shao’s study secretly handed over the news, saying that the prince ordered to make a bed in the study to prepare for the night, which was dead hearted, and sadly closed the door to sleep.

In the next few days, Xiao Qiao was taken care of by Chunniang, and the real food came to open his mouth and the clothes came to reach out. Xiao Qiao was sure that as long as there was Chunniang by her side in this life, even if she had no hands and feet, she could still live very comfortably.

The burns on her wrists, after surviving the pain of the first few days, now began to recover, slowly fading the layer of dead skin and beginning to grow new skin. The healer would come over every day to change her medicine. Yesterday, instead of using the original black and mushy ointment that smelled a little smelly, I replaced it with a milky white new medicine that smelled very cool and comfortable. The healer said that this ointment has the effect of removing saprophytic muscles, and according to the degree of burns of the female monarch, it is inferred from his experience that a good recovery should be able to produce smooth skin like before, without leaving scars.

ChunNiang had been worried about this for the first few days, lest Xiao Qiao’s originally beautiful pair of jade wrists leave burn marks, and only after hearing the doctor say this, she was relieved.

Little Joe bathed that night.

She bathed very diligently, and in the past two years, even in such a cold winter, as long as there are conditions at home, she must take a big wash every two days. At first, Chunniang was surprised by her bathing habits, which suddenly became different from the usual, and then gradually got used to it. Anyway, Joe’s family is big, but it is just a matter of letting the kitchen burn a few more buckets of hot water.

The bathhouse here is connected to the bedroom where Little Joe lives, separated by a screen. Chunniang helped Xiao Qiao take off her clothes, helped her into the big bath tub, and ordered her to raise her hands high, her wrists were not allowed to get wet, and when she saw that she was obedient, she was satisfied to help her wash her long hair.

Xiao Qiao leaned on the edge of the bath tub, the hot water soaked above her chest, the water line fluctuated slightly with Chunniang’s paddling action, if there was a small tongue gently licking and kissing the skin on her chest, slightly crisp, her whole body soaked in it, warm, feeling that Chunniang was rubbing her scalp with skilled and comfortable techniques, and she was about to fall asleep comfortably.

“…… Lady Jun, there is a sentence, the maid does not know when to talk about it…”

When Xiao Qiao closed his eyes, he suddenly heard Chunniang whispering in his ear, and he muttered.

“The maid always felt that the person who had robbed the lady in the courtyard that day was somewhat familiar…”

Chunniang’s voice was close to Xiao Qiao’s ear and came over.

Little Qiao paused, opened his eyes, sat up straight and turned his head to look at Chunniang. Seeing that she was also looking at herself, there was some uncertainty in her expression, but more, she should still be worried, and Little Joe saw it.

“Lady…” Chunniang looked at her and sighed softly, “Is that person really the prince who the maid thinks?”

Liu Yan lived in The Qiao family for many years, and although he left later, a few years have passed, but a person’s physical characteristics, even if they change with adulthood, are generally always the same. Chunniang can recognize it, and it is normal.

Xiao Qiao looked into her worried eyes, hesitated, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Chunniang is assured, he should not come again in the future.”

ChunNiang was stunned, and her look became more worried.

“Wei Hou, does he know about this?”

She asked in little Joe’s ear, almost in a whispered voice.

Little Joe shook his head.

“He came to see me the night he took Shiyi, and I thought he was going to ask me about my exile that day. If he had asked, I would have said to him, but he hadn’t asked, so I thought that more was better than less…”

Chunniang was distracted for a moment.

“I hope that’s the way it goes…”

She sighed.

Xiao Qiao saw that she was worried, two snow-white arms hugged her neck, and her nose hummed and sprinkled: “Chunniang, my wrists are so itchy, I want to scratch ah… What to do…”

Her wrists grew new muscles, and inevitably they began to itch, and the heat in the bath tub was not lying to her.

Chunniang immediately tensed up, hurriedly grabbed her hand, gently rubbed her finger abdomen near her wound, and said, “Patience will pass.” Don’t let yourself scratch it, don’t you hear it? What should I do if I scratch a scar?

Little Qiao muttered twice, leaned his face against her warm and soft chest, rubbed his eyes a few times, and his voice was soft: “Chunniang, you are so good to me…”

Chunniang smiled, “My brute is so beautiful, and intimate, who will be cruel to your heart, and the sacrifice is not good for you…”

Before she could finish speaking, there was a sudden “bang” outside, and the door seemed to have been pushed open, implying some rough anger.

“Prince! The lady was still bathing in the bath—”

The maid’s voice followed, and panic could be heard.

Little Joe opened his eyes.

ChunNiang was also stunned, and then patted her shoulder soothingly, she hurriedly got up, and was about to meet her, a burst of footsteps approached, the shadow behind the screen flickered, the low hanging curtain was torn open, and Wei Shao went straight into the bath room.

The candle flame on the kneeling candlestick of the bronze bronze man standing in the four corners flickered slightly. In this space filled with fragrant soft mist, with his sudden intrusion, the air seemed to cool down rapidly.

He stood there, looking very cold, but his eyes showed an unconcealable anger, and he glanced at little Joe who was still sitting in the bathtub across from him.

“Get out.” he said.

Chunniang knew that he was talking to herself, suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, and said slightly, “The prince is here to look for the female prince?” The female monarch was still bathing, and asked The Princess Tony to serve her first…”

“Roll!”

Wei Shao raised the volume.

ChunNiang’s shoulders shook slightly, but she still stubbornly half-bent over in front of Xiao Qiao and refused to go out.

“Chunniang, there you go.” I’m fine. Little Joe said slowly.

ChunNiang looked back at Xiao Qiao, finally bowed her head, and silently walked out from Wei Shao’s side.

[End of This Chapter]