Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Ritana stared blankly at Jiang Mo. "You... you..."

She didn't want to admit it, but Jiang Mo's words were like sharp blades, slicing open her true face, exposing her shallowness, narrow-mindedness, and selfishness completely.

"Everyone has the right to love, but no one should harm others in the name of love." Jiang Mo gave Lanqiu a look, and Lanqiu brought over a tray holding a flask of wine and two cups. As Jiang Mo poured the wine, she said, "Lin Mei was a living, breathing person. Like you and me, she felt joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. She knew pain and hardship."

"This is the plum blossom wine that Lin Mei brewed. You've never tasted it, have you?" Jiang Mo held the cup out to Ritana.

But Ritana refused to take it. She stared at the cup for a long time before turning her head away. "I won't drink wine she brewed."

Seeing her refusal, Jiang Mo placed the cup back on the tray and picked up the other cup, drinking it herself.

When she looked at Ritana again, her gaze had changed. Where before she was looking at a person, now it was like she was staring at a pile of filth.

"You may be a princess, but in my heart, you are no nobler than Lin Mei. She was innocent and kind, sincere in her dealings with others, and the wine she brewed could make people forget their worries. You, on the other hand, disregard human life and stop at nothing to achieve your goals. You're not even as good as a guard dog—at least a dog will fight to the death for its owner. What have you ever done for the Rong Kingdom?

"As a princess, you live off the people's taxes, but have you ever truly understood their suffering? I bet when you pray to the heavens, you only pray for yourself, never once thinking of the common people. You're nothing but a spoiled, useless princess hiding behind the Rong King's coattails.

"It's not wrong to be an innocent, carefree princess, nor is it wrong to be in love. But you should never have delayed the treaty between our two kingdoms for so long with no progress, all for a man you fell in love with at first sight, and even poisoned an innocent person!

"I see no kindness or compassion in you. I wonder how many lives you've recklessly taken with your princess status in the past. Do you know that the resentment of those suffering people will all fall upon you? The karma you create in this world will lead you to be reborn as a beast in the underworld. If you continue your ways without repentance, you will be cast into the Avici Hell, enduring endless torment with no chance of escape!"

Cold sweat broke out on Ritana's body, and an unprecedented fear surged within her. Instinctively, she wanted to drink to calm her nerves. As she picked up the cup from the tray, Jiang Mo suddenly knocked it to the ground. "Your heart is as filthy as dung—foul and dirty. You're not worthy of drinking wine she brewed!"

Jiang Mo stepped forward, and Ritana stepped back. "Do you know that in Great Qi, there is a saying: 'Better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage.' People say, 'One would rather be mandarin ducks than immortals,' yet you committed such heinous acts. Even the Bodhisattva in the temple will not forgive you! Just wait for the souls of those you've wronged to come and claim their revenge."

She had originally only intended to persuade Ritana to give up Zhu Shiliang, but when Ritana refused the wine cup, the grief and indignation in her heart burst forth.

Since she couldn't take a life for a life, she would make her live in regret and fear for the rest of her days.

Jiang Mo's eyes turned vicious. "Since you understand Great Qi's culture, you should know that Great Qi values cause and effect, the cycle of fate. Karma in this world is set in stone. It's not that there's no payback, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. If you had never set foot on this land, you might have hidden in the shadows, unseen by the gods here. But from the moment you stepped into Great Qi, all your evil deeds have nowhere to hide. I tell you, the moment you killed Lin Mei, you used up your last ounce of luck! As Lin Mei's best friend, I curse you: from now on, you will be plagued by illness, haunted by vengeful spirits, until you fall into hell."

Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out from the gray sky, startling Ritana. Her scalp tingled, her legs went weak, and when she looked up at Jiang Mo again, her eyes were full of terror.

What she saw was Jiang Mo, in the lightning and thunder, with a solemn and majestic face, a look of cold disdain in her eyes, like a Yama from the underworld passing judgment.

She stumbled backward and fell to the ground. "I, I didn't... Those people deserved to die, deserved to die..."

Her attendants moved to help her up but were blocked by the guards of Prince Yu's residence.

Jiang Mo smirked. She had guessed correctly. Such a despicable person wouldn't have killed just one innocent person.

Rain began to fall in a drizzle. Lanqiu held an umbrella over Jiang Mo. Jiang Mo waved her hand, and all the guards at the residence gate withdrew inside.

Only then did Ritana's attendants dare to come forward, help her up, hold an umbrella for her, and drape a cloak over her.

Jiang Mo gave her one last cold look, as if gazing at someone about to die. "Lanqiu, back to the Zhaomu Courtyard."

Just as she turned, Ritana grabbed her sleeve, but was immediately blocked by a guard. The scabbard struck the woman's hand, yet Ritana didn't feel the pain. She stubbornly held onto Jiang Mo's sleeve. "I didn't... Please, take back your curse."

For some reason, Ritana actually felt that Jiang Mo's words might come true. The people of Rong Kingdom always prayed to heaven, and nine out of ten prayers went unanswered. She often thought the heavens didn't exist, but today, amid the roaring thunder and flashing lightning, and Jiang Mo's righteous words, she was afraid.

"Princess Yu, I beg you, take back what you said."

Standing on the steps, Jiang Mo glanced at her. "Then finalize the treaty as soon as possible and leave Great Qi. Return to your Rong Kingdom, and day and night, repent to the innocent souls you have killed. Work for the benefit of your people, become a princess who cares for her subjects. Let the heavens see your sincere repentance. Only then can you atone for your sins, and the words I spoke will be nullified."

"Is there really a heaven, really gods?"

Jiang Mo smiled faintly. "The world is full of gods. Can't you see them?"

Suddenly, goosebumps rose all over Ritana's body. She looked around frantically. In the rain curtain, she seemed to see a woman in red, her face pale and hideous, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, floating toward her.

She had never seen Lin Mei, but at that moment, she was certain it was Lin Mei.

Terrified, she turned and ran, but behind her were more people dressed in Rong Kingdom attire. Some had no heads, some had no bodies, some were covered in blood.

"Stay away! All of you, stay away!"

Ritana screamed and shouted in the rain, running forward a few steps, then turning back, then running again. Finally, she crouched down, covering her head, muttering over and over, "Stay away, stay away..."

Back at the Zhaomu Courtyard, Jiang Mo recalled Lin Mei's face and voice, feeling a pang of bitterness and anger. "Lanqiu, find two skilled guards to dress up as ghosts in the courtyard of the Rong princess's residence at the Honglu Temple inn every other night until she leaves Great Qi!"

Why should a princess who committed murder escape the law? If so, then she would use the law in her heart to punish her!

Rumor had it that after meeting the Princess Yu, the Rong princess fell ill and took to her bed. The much-discussed matter of selecting a consort was put on hold. Ghosts began haunting the courtyard where the princess stayed, and it was said the ghost was Lin Mei, the young mistress of the Zhu family, killed by the Rong princess.

The Rong envoys wanted to take the princess back as soon as possible, but the treaty between the two kingdoms had not yet been signed. Duke Qingguo remained stubborn and refused to compromise. The Rong envoys found the terms too harsh and would not accept them. It was only on Duke Qingguo's birthday, with Prince Yu mediating, that a treaty beneficial to both nations' people was finally signed.

It was said that on the day the Rong delegation left, someone saw the Rong princess—emaciated, nothing like her former self.

Of course, Jiang Mo only learned of these things long after she had left the capital.

*

On the twelfth day of the third month, just after Jiang Mo finished her breakfast, Wangxia led An Zeyou, dressed as a eunuch, into the room.

Wangxia closed the door and withdrew.

An Zeyou took out a gold hairpin from his bosom. "Returning this gold hairpin to you."

Jiang Mo picked it up. The hairpin in her hand was very similar to the one she had left for the old couple on the night of the Lantern Festival.

"Master An, what is this?"

"The morning after you left, the old woman forced the hairpin you left behind into my hands, so I kept it. But don't worry, I later had someone secretly give them a lot of silver—enough to last them several lifetimes."

An Zeyou looked at the hairpin. "I saw that this hairpin originally had something set in it, so I found a craftsman to make a new one in the same style, set with rubies and sapphires. See if you like it."

This gold hairpin was not part of Wei Yalan's dowry, nor a gift from Prince Yu. It was one she had bought herself on the second day after her homecoming visit, when she went to East Street. That night, she had dared to leave the hairpin with the old woman.

Most of the accessories she wore daily were also bought that day.

It wasn't that she disliked the dowry or Prince Yu's gifts; she just felt those things didn't belong to her.

Although these items were also bought with the Prince Yu's mansion's silver, they were not very valuable. She considered them her due for marrying in her place.

Now, the hairpin in her hand was heavier than her own, and the rubies and sapphires set in it were of better quality.

"Give me back the old one." Jiang Mo handed the hairpin back to him. "You keep this one."

An Zeyou didn't take it. "I've already melted the old one into this hairpin. You helped me at the royal family banquet, and you saved me on the night of the Lantern Festival. This hairpin is my repayment for your kindness."

In truth, he hadn't melted it at all—he had kept the old hairpin close to his heart.

Jiang Mo laughed. "When did I ever show you so much kindness? If that were the case, you saved me from the water, found me a doctor, and gave me miscarriage-preventing medicine—that already settles the debt. On the contrary, you came up with plans and mobilized people to help me and my family leave. I owe you a debt I can never repay. Now you're giving me this hairpin, making me even more indebted."

An Zeyou was silent for a long time. "Jiang Mo, can we be friends?"

Jiang Mo immediately replied, "I thought we were already friends. That day when you saw my father, didn't you say you were my good friend?"

From the moment An Zeyou appeared at Luoyun Tower and laid out his plan to her father, she had come to trust him as a friend.

An Zeyou was a little excited. "Then take this as a birthday gift from your friend. Please accept it."

Since it was a birthday gift, and Jiang Mo genuinely liked it, she stopped refusing. "I'll take it then. If we get out of here safely this time, be sure to tell me when your birthday comes. Even if you're in the capital and I'm a thousand miles away, I'll mail you a birthday gift."

"Good, good. Perhaps by then, you can hand it to me in person."

Jiang Mo looked at An Zeyou and suddenly asked, "Now that we're friends, can you tell me how you knew I was a substitute bride?"