Chapter 50: Mother

Chapter 50: Mother

Mu Chi’s steps froze instantly, rooted to the spot.

For a moment, he felt disoriented, as if still trapped in a dream induced by sedatives, never truly waking.

—That familiar voice, it had only ever appeared in his dreams.

Yet, he hesitated, afraid to turn his head and look.

Because countless times, even in dreams, turning around had only revealed an empty void.

“Sir?” Si Li looked puzzledly at Mu Chi, who had stopped abruptly before him, and called out softly.

Qin He, leading the way ahead, also turned at the sound. Noticing Mu Chi halted at the cave entrance, he quickly scurried back a few steps, bowing cautiously. “Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”

Mu Chi’s eyes gradually regained some clarity. He looked at Si Li and Qin He, as if seeking their affirmation, and asked in a daze, “Did you hear that?”

Qin He, not understanding, could only look to Si Li for help.

Si Li, however, understood his master’s meaning. Back then, his master would struggle with sleepless nights. Yet, with his profound internal energy, he could hear far too many distracting noises, only managing to rest with the aid of sleeping drafts prescribed by the imperial physician.

But later, even the drafts stopped working, and his master began using stronger sedatives. Sometimes, waking in a semi-conscious state, he would ask, “Si Li, did you see that?” or “Si Li, did you hear that?” only for his expression to grow colder upon seeing Si Li’s bowed head, understanding dawning.

He always remembered: during the siege of Shengzhou, the city lord stubbornly held out. The night before that bloody battle, his master, half-asleep in his tent, had asked him the same question. When he avoided his master’s gaze, his master calmed down. The next day, he brutally carved a bloody breach into Shengzhou’s impregnable walls.

Now, hearing his master ask this again, Si Li glanced around, seeing only a hurried official in the distant corridor. He lowered his head, a hint of reluctance in his voice: “Your Highness must be weary from the journey. Perhaps you should rest first?”

The light in Mu Chi’s eyes was instantly replaced by a profound gloom, yet for some unknown reason, an unusual surge of anger welled within him this time.

He had heard it, clearly and distinctly.

But these people, one by one, acted as if they were deaf!

Mu Chi turned, striding purposefully towards the corridor where he had heard that clear voice. As he walked, he rasped angrily, “Why didn’t you—why didn’t any of you hear—”

His voice abruptly cut off as he reached the corridor. Mu Chi stood there, dazed.

Aside from a terrified messenger, there was no one there.

As if the voice had truly been an illusion.

Qin He, bewildered, glanced fearfully at the unpredictable man before him, then stepped forward respectfully. “Your Highness, this is a messenger from the post station, here to deliver letters. He must be here for that today.” He then turned and glared at the official. “Why aren’t you kneeling!”

The messenger, pale with fright, dropped to his knees with a thud. “This humble commoner greets Your Highness!”

“I was ordered to deliver letters. I failed to recognize Your Highness…”

Si Li paused, as if something clicked, then turned to the official: “Who are you delivering letters to?”

The messenger stammered, “Qiao Wanniang of the Gold and Silver Pavilion…”

Before he could finish, Si Li saw a flash of red. Mu Chi had already flown towards the mansion’s back gate.

Si Li hurriedly exerted all his strength to follow, but upon reaching the back gate and seeing the figure standing there, he abruptly reined in his internal energy and stopped. “Did His Highness see clearly?”

Mu Chi remained silent for a long time before speaking hoarsely, “I saw her hand.”

When he reached the back gate, he only clearly saw the left hand gripping the carriage door.

That hand was fair and slender, but on its back was a dark red scar, a palm’s length long, strikingly conspicuous.

It shouldn’t be her.

After all, she was so afraid of pain.

After all… she was so delicate and pampered. How could she allow herself to have a scar?

Normally, after using her whip, she would apply thick hand salve to nourish her skin.

Even a tiny red mark from a burn would send her into a fit of pique.

If it truly were her, she must have been in great pain.

***

Qiao Wan had originally planned to accompany Wujiu to visit the academy early this morning, as Wujiu was due to start school in less than half a month.

Moreover, Wen’s mother, delighted that Qiao Wan and Wen Xubai’s meeting had gone smoothly, urged them to spend time getting to know each other, suggesting it would be even better to exchange betrothal documents sooner.

Qiao Wan had no objections, nor did Wen Xubai, so they set the date for exchanging betrothal documents for today.

When Qiao Wan brought Wujiu to the entrance of Yuejian Academy, Wen Xubai was already waiting there. A gentle smile graced his lips, and he held a dark sandalwood box. He was still dressed in clean white robes, but no longer the patched ones—clearly, he had changed into new clothes for the occasion. Though the fabric wasn’t of the finest quality, he wore it with an air of refined elegance.

After exchanging greetings, Qiao Wan was about to follow him into the academy when, unexpectedly, a bailiff from the prefectural office arrived on horseback. He informed her that there was a letter for her from Xinghua Village in Shangjun and that she needed to personally retrieve it from the prefectural residence.

Qiao Wan felt both surprised and conflicted.

She knew Xinghua Village was Uncle Zhang’s hometown. In the past, to avoid troubling the villagers, Uncle Zhang would only ask for a reply if he had found his granddaughter. This reply likely meant there was news about her.

But Wujiu and Wen Xubai were still waiting for her.

It was then that Wen Xubai thoughtfully offered, “Miss Qiao, please go to the prefectural office to retrieve your letter. I have free time today and can show Wujiu around the academy. If you haven’t returned by then, I will take Wujiu back to the Gold and Silver Pavilion.”

Grateful, Qiao Wan hired a carriage to follow the bailiff. As she was about to leave, she remembered something. She took the betrothal document from her sleeve, quickly handed it to Wen Xubai, and took the wooden box from him. Then she turned and boarded the carriage, pushing open the window to wave the box at Wen Xubai with an arched brow and a smile. “I’ll keep this for now.”

Wen Xubai paused in surprise before laughing softly. “Miss Qiao, be careful on the road.”

Upon arriving at the prefectural office, Qiao Wan had intended to quickly retrieve the letter and take it back to Uncle Zhang. However, she hadn’t expected the entire residence to be on formal alert, clearly preparing to receive an important guest.

Qiao Wan was quietly led through the rear entrance by the bailiff, who repeatedly reminded her to be careful.

Frowning, Qiao Wan felt a growing apprehension and inexplicable unease, as if something was about to happen.

Finally, when they reached a corridor and the bailiff asked her to wait for a moment, Qiao Wan couldn’t help but ask, “Is there an important guest at the residence today?”

The bailiff, aware of Qiao Wan’s closeness with the prefect’s wife, whispered, “Great Qi’s Crown Prince is passing through Jiuyuan and will be staying at the residence for a few days.”

With that, he hurried away.

Qiao Wan recalled the prefect’s wife mentioning some time ago that “an important guest is staying temporarily,” but she hadn’t expected it to be Great Qi’s Crown Prince.

This eased her mind somewhat.

Even though she had once ridden in a wedding procession of Great Qi, Li Muxuan ultimately wouldn’t know who she was.

But then, Qiao Wan couldn’t help but think of the dream she had once had.

In the dream, Li Muxuan and Mu Chi were twins, looking extremely alike. However, Li Muxuan’s features were more rugged, less refined than Mu Chi’s, and carried a hint of cruelty.

She wondered whether in reality it was the same.

Qiao Wan was lost in thought when the messenger hurried over, holding a letter and whispering as he ran, “Miss Qiao, a letter for you.”

Seeing the words “Shangjun” on the envelope, Qiao Wan couldn’t help but ask with delight, “Is it really a reply from Xinghua Village?”

The messenger was about to respond when his gaze drifted toward the front.

Following his line of sight, Qiao Wan saw a man surrounded by a crowd at the distant backyard entrance.

He wore a ginger-colored, gold-threaded brocade fur coat, a snow-white robe with a golden waistband, and beneath his hair crown, a gold-and-white hair tie fluttered in the wind.

Too far to see clearly, Qiao Wan could only make out a familiar silhouette, which made her heart leap into her throat.

She kept telling herself that it was the Crown Prince of Great Qi, Li Muxuan, merely the twin brother of Mu Chi. But as the group came to a halt, Qiao Wan immediately took the letter from the messenger, turned around, and hurried toward the back door.

The coachman was still waiting outside. Qiao Wan tossed him a silver piece and urged him to leave quickly.

As she climbed into the carriage, she stumbled slightly, barely steadying herself by grabbing the door.

Sitting restlessly inside, she clutched the letter tightly. The next moment, something heavy in her sleeve brushed against Wen Xubai’s wooden box, snapping her back to reality. She took out the box and gazed at it quietly.

That was just Li Muxuan, who had never seen her before.

Besides, she had already exchanged betrothal documents with Wen Xubai. As long as she endured these few days and waited for Great Qi’s troops to leave, everything would return to normal.

As long as she stayed inside the Gold and Silver Pavilion and didn’t go out these next few days, she would be fine.

Reassuring herself like this, Qiao Wan gradually calmed down.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Gold and Silver Pavilion. Qiao Wan jumped out and walked into the shop.

“Madam.”

“Miss.”

The bookkeeper and Yicui greeted her with their usual smiles. Qiao Wan forced a smile in return and headed to the backyard.

Uncle Zhang had gone to replace the horseshoes and hadn’t returned yet. Qiao Wan handed the letter to a guard and went back to her own courtyard.

Her courtyard had a phoenix tree that grew lush and green in midsummer but stood bare in winter. A recent snowfall had left its branches looking like frost-covered jade twigs.

At that moment, the swept courtyard was scattered with broken snow.

Qiao Wan stared at the ground for a long while before finally entering her room.

The room was silent, and the charcoal in the stove was nearly burnt out.

Qiao Wan added more charcoal and gently stirred it with a poker.

Sparks danced up, extinguishing quietly in midair.

“Qiao…Wan…Niang?” A hoarse voice broke the silence in the room, its tone unusually gentle, lingering over each syllable with a faint upward tilt, carrying an indescribable meaning.

Qiao Wan’s hand holding the poker froze abruptly, and it fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

She remained rigid, not turning around.

Mu Chi looked at the woman’s back. It was really her!

He never expected that, in this moment of least hope, it would actually be her!

She truly never tolerated hardship well.

Even in the unfamiliar city of Jiuyuan, she lived in the finest residence, had attentive maids and guards, wore a fiery red fox fur coat in a vibrant hue, adorned herself with luxurious hairpins and jewelry, and even her wrist holding the simple poker was decorated with exquisite, lustrous white jade beads.

Still so bold and unrestrained.

Not that cold, fake corpse, but the lively, passionate… real her.

Even without approaching, he could feel the warmth radiating from her.

She was just like three years ago, seemingly unchanged.

Mu Chi’s throat felt choked, his long-dead heart now surging with rage and ecstasy, making his eyes redden and a metallic taste rise in his throat.

Thinking she was just an illusion, he hadn’t held any hope this time, yet here she was, real and present before him.

Perhaps she was still an illusion.

As if to confirm she was real, Mu Chi stepped forward slowly, reaching out to touch her.

Qiao Wan felt the icy cold emanating from Mu Chi even more intensely than three years ago. She turned around, saw his raised hand, and startled, quickly dodging.

Mu Chi’s hand hung frozen in midair, finally confirming it.

“…It’s real,” he rasped.

Because in his dreams, she would never avoid him like he was poison.

But the next moment, Mu Chi’s hand trembled uncontrollably, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Qiao Wan, you dare show yourself.”

Qiao Wan stared blankly at Mu Chi before her, slightly startled.

His face was pale to the point of transparency, only his lips and the corners of his eyes tinged with red. His cheeks were gaunt, his eyes pitch-black, exuding a delicate, ethereal beauty. The chilling scent around him was dizzying to inhale.

One glance was enough to tell this was not Li Muxuan.

Qiao Wan pressed her lips together, unsure what had happened to make Mu Chi the Crown Prince of Great Qi, but at that moment, she had no desire to acknowledge it…

After a moment’s thought, Qiao Wan simply took half a step back and said, “I pay my respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

She pays respects to him?

This arrogant, domineering, and unruly woman actually pays respects to him?

Mu Chi’s eyelashes flickered, as if hearing a joke. He stared straight at the woman before him, watching her create distance, a wave of pain surging in his chest. It hurt so much he lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on the back of her left hand.

Steadying himself, Mu Chi stepped forward, lifted her left hand, and held it firmly despite her struggles. He stared intently at that prominent scar, then after a long while said, “Qiao Wan, did you go through all that trouble to escape from Lingjing just to end up like this?”

Qiao Wan frowned slightly, about to speak, when footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

Soon after, two figures, one tall and one short, approached.

Chu Wujiu, reluctant, was led by Wen Xubai and stopped at the doorway.

Qiao Wan turned her head, meeting Wen Xubai’s calm and collected gaze. She paused, then looked down at Chu Wujiu.

Chu Wujiu widened his big eyes, looking at her, then at Mu Chi, before calling out loudly, “Mother!”

Author’s Note:

Doggo: @#￥#@%￥%*&*!