Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Liu Yingrong also understood that further refusal would surely arouse Prince Yu's suspicion. She looked at the three maidservants, "Hui Qing, take the three of them to prepare. Make sure to serve the Prince and Princess well tonight."

Hui Qing led the three maidservants out of the main hall in a hurry.

Lanqiu, Randong, and Qiao Yun followed behind Jiang Mo and Chen Yingchou (the official) as they slowly made their way to the backyard.

As Jiang Mo supported the official Chen Yingchou, she used a handkerchief to separate their skin, afraid that the yam slime would get on his hands.

When they arrived at Wei Yalan's boudoir, Jiang Mo's hands and neck itched more and more, making it hard to resist scratching. After pouring tea for Prince Yu, she quickly made an excuse that she felt chest tightness and needed to take a walk, then left Wei Yalan's courtyard alone.

Hui Qing guessed what she wanted to do, so before Prince Yu could order Lanqiu and Randong to follow, she took the initiative to lead the three maidservants after Jiang Mo.

As soon as they left, Prince Yu instructed Lanqiu to follow, cautioning her not to alert anyone.

"Miss, let's go to the pond in the garden. After the start of winter, few people go there," Hui Qing understood that she needed to deal with Jiang Mo's itching promptly.

Jiang Mo scratched as she spoke, "Have them bring a basin of hot water, a bowl of vinegar, a hand warmer—the hotter the better—and a heavily scented incense burner."

Her father loved yam and purple sweet potato cakes, and she often made them for him. When peeling yams, she would accidentally get the slime on her hands. As long as she rubbed and washed them repeatedly with vinegar in time, then dried them over a fire, the itching would soon stop. Since it wasn't convenient to light a fire here, a hand warmer would suffice as a substitute.

The three maids behind her immediately went to prepare. Jiang Mo picked up a large stone from the side, lifted her skirt, and walked to the edge of the pond.

Winter in the capital was very cold, and the pond had frozen over. Jiang Mo used the stone to smash the ice.

"What are you doing?" Hui Qing had never seen any proper lady behave so rudely; she was somewhat surprised.

Jiang Mo ignored Hui Qing. She knew her limits, staying only at the edge of the pond without going further. She just wanted to break the ice to get water to wash her hands and neck. Even if she couldn't get water, just placing her hands on the ice greatly relieved the itching.

Hui Qing saw Jiang Mo standing on stable ground and felt she was meddling. She sneered sarcastically, "Is it really that itchy? Weren't you pretending just now? My lady would never behave as coarsely as you."

Lanqiu, hiding behind the rockery, saw Jiang Mo smashing the ice with a stone and occasionally wiping her neck with a handkerchief soaked in crushed ice. She didn't find it strange; instead, she thought Jiang Mo's itching must not have subsided and she didn't want the Prince to worry, so she acted.

What she found odd was that if the itching needed to be suppressed with ice, shouldn't the maid be the one smashing the ice? Why was Hui Qing standing aside watching, letting the Princess do it herself? Hui Qing seemed to be saying something, but she was too far away to hear.

Before long, the three maidservants returned with hot water, vinegar, a hand warmer, and an incense burner.

Lanqiu watched as Jiang Mo applied vinegar to her neck and hands, rubbed them, then washed them with hot water. After that, she held the hand warmer against her neck and hands.

While doing this, one maid circled her with incense smoke from the burner.

Throughout it all, Hui Qing never assisted.

Lanqiu didn't know how to report what she had seen to the Prince. Although she felt the relationship between the Princess and Hui Qing wasn't that of mistress and servant, Hui Qing was, after all, the Princess's personal maid—not someone she could comment on.

So, she left out her doubts and reported only what she had seen to the Prince.

Just as she finished her report, Jiang Mo and the others entered the room.

Since Prince Yu had gone blind, his ears and nose had become more sensitive. Although Jiang Mo had heavily perfumed herself with floral scents, he could still smell the vinegar.

After this ordeal, it was getting dark. Liu Yingrong sent someone to invite Prince Yu and Jiang Mo to dinner.

"I ate heavily at lunch and have no appetite, so I won't go," Prince Yu stood up, and Qiao Yun immediately stepped forward to support him. "Lan'er, accompany the Duke and Duchess for the meal. I'll take a walk in the courtyard to digest and wait for you to return."

Jiang Mo didn't want to go either, but given her status, it was difficult to say no. As she hesitated, the maid said, "The Duchess personally made your favorite hibiscus cakes." Hearing this, Jiang Mo had no choice but to go.

Hibiscus cakes weren't Wei Yalan's favorite—they were hers. It seemed that during that month, Hui Qing had reported her preferences to the Duchess.

Saying they were personally made must have been a guess that the Prince wouldn't attend and a fear that she might also decline, hence the message. There must be something the Duchess wanted to discuss with her.

Jiang Mo followed the maid to the main hall. Hui Qing and the others waited outside, leaving only Duke Qingguo, the Duchess, and her inside.

Wei Chun got straight to the point: "Your father is now a Sixth-rank Secretary. He needs a proper mansion. I've arranged for your father and younger brother to be settled in a residence on East Street, complete with servants, maids, and guards. You can rest easy."

Rest easy? How could she?

The mansion was arranged by the Duke, and the servants and guards were his people. It was clearly a message to her: her father and brother were under his control, and she must obey.

"Today, I saw that the Prince treats you with some respect. Though he may not be deeply in love, he shows you regard. His words and actions treat you as his lawful wife, so he won't be on guard against you."

Jiang Mo knew something was wrong with these words.

Sure enough, Wei Chun's next words confirmed her suspicions.

"Before the Prince went blind, he had many supporters at court, such as the Minister of Personnel, who are well known. But there are also those who remain hidden, especially within the military. No one knows which ones are Prince Yu's spies. It's said that the Prince keeps a roster. You don't need to steal it—just make a copy."

The more Jiang Mo listened, the more she felt this was no simple matter. She increasingly suspected that the Duke wasn't actually on the Prince's side.

She laughed to herself. What use was knowing all this? How could she refuse what the Duke asked of her?

Still, she had to make the Duke understand just how difficult this was, so that if she failed, he wouldn't take it out on her father.

"Your Grace, you may not know. After entering the Prince's mansion, I've been living in the Morning-Dusk Courtyard. I haven't set foot in the main courtyard, let alone the Prince's study or bedroom."

The Duke smiled kindly. "You've only been married for three days. I'm not asking you to do it overnight. I'll give you three months. If you accomplish this, I'll promote your father to a Fifth-rank Director."

Now she was truly trapped. Even finding the list would be next to impossible, let alone copying it. She knew all too well that whether she succeeded or failed, death was inevitable.

Before, she was just a substitute, clinging to a faint hope of survival. Now that she had agreed to this, she was now against the Prince. If he found out, he wouldn't spare her. And the Duke, after using her, would kill her.

At this moment, she couldn't think of any way out. She had to agree for now and find a way out later.

"Yes, I'll try my best."

Wei Chun sat down with satisfaction. "Good, good. What an obedient girl. Come, let's eat."

Jiang Mo looked at the table full of dishes but had no appetite. However, the Duke and Duchess were very enthusiastic, piling food onto her plate and watching her eat. She forced herself to stuff the food into her mouth one mouthful after another.

As the meal was ending, Liu Yingrong took out a box. She opened it to reveal a gold bangle—very thick and heavy, hollow inside, and inlaid with red and blue gemstones. It looked extraordinarily luxurious.

"Madam, you've already given me a jade bracelet. This one is too precious; I can't accept it." Jiang Mo raised her wrist, showing the jade bracelet she had deliberately worn that morning.

Liu Yingrong smiled but said nothing. She picked up the gold bangle, then took a hairpin from her head and pried open a hidden clasp on the inside of the bangle. "This was specially prepared for you. I know from Hui Qing's message. Since the Prince's mansion is full of spies from the palace and court, it's not convenient anymore for Hui Qing to make you birth control tea. Wear this bangle instead. It contains musk inside, so you won't get pregnant."

After speaking, Liu Yingrong slowly closed the clasp, took Jiang Mo's hand, removed the jade bracelet, and placed it in the jewelry box on the table—clearly not planning to give it back. Then she slid the gold bangle onto Jiang Mo's wrist.

"Parents love their children more than anything. You've never been a mother, so you don't know what a mother would do for her child, how far she would go."

The beautiful, luxurious gold bangle was so heavy on her wrist that her hand ached.

Her hands had once carried her mother's heavy medicine pot, and had held her little brother through the night, but none of that was as heavy as this gold bangle.

The moment the bangle was put on, it felt like a boulder crashing onto her heart, unbearably heavy.

She understood: Liu Yingrong was afraid that if she became pregnant, she would abandon her father and brother for the child's sake, and would burn all bridges with them to escape their control.

Liu Yingrong spoke of the musk so frankly, making Jiang Mo feel utterly insignificant. Liu Yingrong couldn't have been unaware that occasionally drinking contraceptive herbs wouldn't harm a woman, but long-term exposure to musk would cause irreversible damage to a woman's body. In Liu Yingrong's eyes, her lowly status didn't even warrant a pretense of deception.

She couldn't escape her fate—they had her completely under their thumb.

"This is for your own good, so you won't be reluctant to leave when the time comes."

Jiang Mo tried to force a smile, but her lips just twitched. Lowering her head, she said, "You're right, madam. I'll do as you say."

When she returned to Wei Yalan's boudoir, the candles in the inner room had already been extinguished.

Qiao Yun said that Prince Yu had retired for the night, stopping Hui Qing and the other three at the door, and instructing Lanqiu and Randong to help Jiang Mo get ready for bed.

Seeing Jiang Mo enter, Lanqiu and Randong hurriedly helped her change clothes. Lanqiu, with a concerned expression, asked, "Your Highness, would you like to bathe? The water has already been heated."

Jiang Mo had never really taken a good look at Lanqiu before. Now she saw her: almond-shaped eyes, a small round nose, and a sweet, innocent face that bore some resemblance to Luo Li.

Jiang Mo saw kindness in her eyes, and suddenly became aware of her own scent. To cover up the smell of vinegar, she'd doused herself in floral perfume. After dinner, she'd picked up the sandalwood scent from the room, leaving a mix of smells. She'd been in it so long she couldn't smell it anymore, but it was obvious Lanqiu had noticed—it must have smelled weird.

Jiang Mo nodded.

After bathing, her body was free of the mixed scents, leaving only a faint, elegant fragrance. When changing clothes, Lanqiu took several garments from Wei Yalan's wardrobe for her to choose from, and she still chose the crabapple-red dress.

After she put on her underclothes, Lanqiu hung the outer robe on the rack and left with Randong.

Jiang Mo went around the screen and walked slowly into the inner room. Assuming Prince Yu was already asleep, she gently picked up a quilt, planning to make do on the soft couch in the outer room.

Just as she took two steps, the room suddenly lit up.

Chen Yingchou, holding a flint, was fumbling to light a nearby red candle.

Jiang Mo took the flint from his hand and bent down to light it.

Before the flame touched the wick, she heard his voice. "Has your rash improved?"

As she lit the four candles, Jiang Mo replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am much better."

After blowing out the flint, she picked up a quilt to leave. Chen Yingchou, using his hearing to guess her intentions, grabbed her arm. "You take the bed; I'll go to the outer room."