Chapter 70

Chapter 70

An Zeyou's expression turned troubled. "Jiang Mo, it's not that I'm unwilling to tell you, but this matter—it's better that you don't know."

"How strange. You've willingly told me so many secrets, yet you're tight-lipped about this one." Jiang Mo walked to the dressing mirror and placed the gold hairpin in her hair. "Forget it. Since I'll be leaving in a little over ten days anyway, knowing or not knowing doesn't matter."

All women love beauty. She had liked that earlier hairpin very much, but this one—with its finer craftsmanship and more exquisite appearance—she liked even more.

An Zeyou came up behind her, looking at the woman in the mirror. This face, like a painting, was the one he yearned for day and night. At this moment, he wished he could tell her how he felt and hold her in his arms.

Jiang Mo took off the hairpin and placed it into her cosmetic case. "Master An, I really like this birthday gift you've given me."

Even as she said this, she felt a bit troubled. An Zeyou had given her such an expensive birthday gift in the name of friendship—what should she give him when his birthday came?

Ah, she shouldn't have been so greedy and accepted it earlier. But who could blame her? She truly loved how it looked.

She rose, walked to the table, and poured a cup of tea for An Zeyou. "Master An, you insisted on seeing me today—surely it wasn't just to give me a birthday gift?"

From the dressing table to the table, An Zeyou's gaze involuntarily followed Jiang Mo. He sat down, picked up the tea, and took a sip. "His Majesty once said he would permit me to return to the Northern Domain in March. But do you know what happened?"

Jiang Mo said nothing, watching him quietly. She understood—An Zeyou had come to confide in her again.

How strange. She could stand in front of him without any embarrassment, adjusting her hairpin in the mirror, and he could tell her his innermost thoughts without reservation. The man who had once threatened her had become a friend with whom she shared no defenses.

An Zeyou gave a self-deprecating smile. "His Majesty wrote a letter to my father, asking if I wanted to return to the Northern Domain and inquiring about his thoughts. How could my father possibly agree? If he agreed, wouldn't that be openly opposing His Majesty? So he wrote back, scolding me for being immature and telling me to stay put in the capital. Jiang Mo, do you know how guilty I felt when His Majesty showed me that reply?

"Over these ten years, afraid my parents would worry, I've always written in my letters that I don't miss home, that the capital is prosperous and interesting, that I'm living a comfortable and carefree life. Now they must surely know—I haven't been doing well at all. I miss home so much."

Tears filled An Zeyou's eyes. He shook his head gently. "I was so foolish. I thought that if I took that arrow, I'd be able to go home. And I lost a loyal musician because of it. Instead, it backfired. Not only can I not return, but I've made my parents worry about me."

He looked at Jiang Mo. "My mother has been ill. I don't know how she is now. After His Majesty tested my martial arts on Lantern Festival night, I haven't dared to send secret communications to the Northern Domain. I never should have plotted that assassination attempt. Not only did it fail, but it also terrified you."

Jiang Mo said softly, "You don't need to blame yourself. Even if His Majesty hadn't sent that letter to Old General An, the general and his wife would know your situation. They know you're a good son." She gently patted his shoulder. "You just miss home. You just want to go back. What's wrong with that?"

An Zeyou tilted his head back, struggling to hold back his tears, but the tears refused to obey, streaming down his face. He wiped them away and tried to laugh. "Jiang Mo, I must look ridiculous. Actually, I... I..." For some reason, the more he tried to control himself, the less he could. Tears kept flowing. "I rarely cry."

Jiang Mo turned her head away, not looking at him, and said nothing. She understood the bitterness in An Zeyou's heart. Words were useless. He needed to calm down on his own.

An Zeyou's tears were silent. The room was quiet. The faint scent of jasmine floated in the air, comforting him.

"Jiang Mo, do you still have some of that jasmine incense you use in your room? Could you give me some? I like it very much."

"Of course." She took out a fragrance box and handed it to An Zeyou. "That day, I went to your Qinxin Fragrance Shop and bought a lot of jasmine incense materials. After making the incense pouch for Prince Yu, there was still plenty left, so I gave it all to Lanqiu, who made it into small incense cakes. I'll give you this box."

An Zeyou felt a twinge of jealousy. So that day when Jiang Mo went to buy fragrance materials, it was to make a sachet for Prince Yu.

He took the box and held it in his hand. "Jiang Mo, if I ever ask for a birthday gift that I truly want, will you be able to give it to me then?"

Jiang Mo thought for a moment. "That depends on what you want. I can't afford anything too expensive."

"It's not expensive. It's worth even less than this box of incense cakes."

Jiang Mo suddenly thought of something. She took the box back from An Zeyou's hands. "The Qinxin Fragrance Shop is your establishment. Getting jasmine incense should be simple for you. Why do you want the incense cakes that Lanqiu made herself? And besides, you haven't even asked if she'd give you any."

An Zeyou laughed. Before, their interactions had been either guarded and confrontational or fraught with injury and escape. This kind of relaxed exchange was a first.

"You're right. What I want isn't Lanqiu's incense cakes."

Jiang Mo felt a little embarrassed. "Sorry. Actually, it's not that I'm reluctant to give you the cakes—it's that I'm reluctant to part with the ones Lanqiu made. After I leave, I'll never have the chance to see her make incense again." She set the box back down and turned around. "If there's a chance in the future, I'll make incense for you, as a way to make up for today."

This suited An Zeyou perfectly. "Of course. I would be honored."

Jiang Mo felt that An Zeyou's use of "honored" was a bit off, but she didn't dwell on it. Seeing that he was in better spirits, she quickly said, "There's something I'd like to ask for your help."

"Go ahead."

"You know that after I leave, Duke Qingguo will definitely not spare anyone who knows my true identity. Xiang Tong, the maidservant he sent to spy on me, is kind-hearted. I want to save her and her mother.

"On the third day of the fourth lunar month, Xiang Tong will go to the Qinxin Fragrance Shop ahead of time. Her mother works in the Duke's mansion and will keep a discreet eye on me. If something happens to me, she will take the note I wrote and go to the shop to report. If I leave safely, she will go to the shop to meet Xiang Tong. Please arrange for someone to send them away, no matter what happens that day."

An Zeyou didn't hesitate. "Easy. Sending away a Princess Yu isn't easy, but sending away a maidservant and an elderly woman? That's simple enough."

He then put on a knowing look. "That former maidservant of yours—what was her name, something like Qing? I heard she and her sister disappeared on Lantern Festival night. You arranged for them to leave, didn't you?"

Jiang Mo nodded. "They're all poor souls. I help as many as I can. Actually, I didn't do much—just came up with an idea."

An Zeyou felt more and more that Jiang Mo was a rare, truly wonderful woman in this world, worthy of his love.

"On the third day of the fourth lunar month, I'll have a carriage ready at the back gate of the Duke's mansion. I have a man inside the mansion; he'll lead you out through the back gate. The driver will take you to the city outskirts, where your father and younger brother will be waiting at the agreed-upon residence. After two days, you should be able to evade anyone Duke Qingguo sends after you. Then I'll send you to Jiangnan, where you lived as a child. You'll find life there more comfortable."

Jiang Mo looked at him doubtfully. "Since I came to the capital, my father has never told anyone about our past. The Ministry of Personnel has no records. None of my father's colleagues know. How did you find out I spent my childhood in Jiangnan?"

An Zeyou smiled. "Of course, Jiang Bai told me. Others don't want to talk to someone they consider slow, but I find Jiang Bai quite interesting."

Jiang Bai had never had any friends growing up. Jiang Mo was grateful that An Zeyou was willing to spend time with him. "Thank you. You've thought of everything." Thinking of her departure, she felt nervous—afraid things might go wrong, and even more afraid that Duke Qingguo might kill her father and brother.

"An Zeyou, just in case—I mean, just in case we're found by Duke Qingguo—tell your men to leave me behind and get my father and brother out first."

At the thought of losing Jiang Mo, An Zeyou's heart raced with panic. He looked at her seriously. "No. Trust me. Everything is arranged. Nothing will go wrong."

Jiang Mo cannot be harmed. He had waited too long for her to leave Prince Yu's residence and shed her identity as Wei Yalan.

"Also, I've already found a physician who will accompany you the whole way. You..." An Zeyou took a deep breath. "You're pregnant, and the journey is far. Having a physician with you is a good idea."

Jiang Mo patted his shoulder. "It's a waste for you to play the part of a wastrel. You're meticulous and thorough." Remembering that New Year's Eve night, she teased, "And you can even hurt yourself so badly. Whether in officialdom or business, you would surely achieve great things."

But An Zeyou's mind was elsewhere. He looked at Jiang Mo's belly, his heart a mix of emotions. "Do you really plan to keep this baby? I asked the physician—you're still early in the pregnancy..."

"Yes!" Jiang Mo cut him off. "I want this baby. I know you're right—I should leave everything behind and start anew. But I still want to have him, even if the road ahead is hard."

An Zeyou looked at her with deep sympathy. Ever since he had come to terms with his feelings, he regretted endlessly. If only he had gotten to know Jiang Mo better before she took her sister's place as a bride—maybe things would have been different.

But at least it wasn't too late.

"No. From now on, you'll only get better."

Jiang Mo smiled faintly. "I'll take your kind words."

"Thump, thump, thump." Wangxia's voice came from outside the door. "Your Highness, Xingchun and Randong have returned from their shopping."

Jiang Mo opened the door. Wangxia said, "Lanqiu is stalling them." She glanced inside and saw An Zeyou still sitting calmly. She said urgently, "Young Master, let me escort you out of the manor."

An Zeyou didn't seem in a rush. In fact, he thought that if he couldn't leave today, he could hide in Prince Yu's manor. With his martial arts, getting in was easy—surely he could hide as well?

If he weren't afraid of causing trouble before Jiang Mo's departure, he'd actually like to do just that.

He stood and walked to the door, then looked back at Jiang Mo. "We'll meet on the third day of the fourth lunar month."

Jiang Mo nodded.

Wangxia, seeing An Zeyou’s reluctant gaze, urged, “Young master, please leave now.” She walked ahead out of the courtyard, with An Zeyou following behind, turning back repeatedly to wave goodbye to Jiang Mo.

Seeing this, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. This girl was becoming less and less like the quiet, reserved person she used to be. She had always thought Wangxia was proper and obedient to An Zeyou, never expecting her to dare to urge her own master.

Such a Wangxia was more vivid, and she liked her more.

In the following ten or so days, Jiang Mo lived freely in the manor, just as her father had told her—eat what she liked and do what she liked.

She went to the garden to plant flowers with the gardeners, asking them how to grow orchids well. She had always loved orchids and did not grow to dislike them just because of Wei Yalan’s name.

She went to the kitchen to ask the cooks how to make date pastries and crystal cakes, pastries that were difficult and time-consuming to make, which she planned to make for her father and brother in the future.

She flew kites with Lanqiu and Wangxia in the courtyard. To make the kite fly higher, she forgot she was pregnant and ran while flying the kite, frightening them so much that they grabbed the kite string from her.

Seeing that Xingchun was interested in playing the seven-stringed qin but dared not even touch it, she taught her the simplest melody.

Seeing that Randong was becoming increasingly addicted to sweets, fearing she might fall ill, she wrote out a long list of foods for her and prepared a jar of one hundred malt candies. She told Randong to eat only the food on the list every day and only one candy a day, no more. If she obeyed, after a hundred days, she could fold the candy wrappers into stars and make a wish to a star on a clear night. If she could persist for another hundred days, she could make a second wish.

However, she always kept Su Jiying outside the door. Rather than let her face the sadness of a friend turning into a stranger in the future, it was better to end the friendship now.

How quickly the days passed—in the blink of an eye, it was already April.

On the second day of the fourth month, Xingchun returned from Kunning Palace and exclaimed excitedly to Jiang Mo, “Royal Consort, news has come from the palace: His Highness has regained his sight, and the Emperor intends to make him the Crown Prince.”