Chapter 72

Chapter 72

At the entrance of the Duke of Qingguo’s mansion, the steward was already waiting for them.

The steward glanced at Wangxia and said, "The Duke wishes to speak with the Princess alone. Please wait in the front hall briefly."

Wangxia quickly replied, "No, the Princess has been ill these past two days. I’m worried about her; I’d rather wait right outside the door."

The steward stopped and looked at Wangxia warily. "Is this young lady implying that the Duke might harm the Princess?"

Jiang Mo, afraid that Duke Qingguo might hurt Wangxia, stepped in front of her. "She’s just concerned about me. I’ll send her to the front hall."

Given Duke Qingguo’s style of burning Geng Family Manor to the ground, if he grew suspicious of Wangxia, he would certainly leave no survivors.

Just as she was about to turn, Wangxia made some gesture behind her, and the steward’s eyes froze. He immediately changed his tune. "Then this lady can come along."

Jiang Mo turned to look at Wangxia, questioning her with her eyes.

Wangxia avoided her gaze, giving no response, and pulled her sleeve down tightly as if trying to hide something.

In that instant, Jiang Mo saw it all clearly!

Wangxia, being just a maid from Kunning Palace, couldn’t have earned such special treatment. So what made him change his mind? There could only be one reason: Wangxia’s other identity.

What she had hidden was simply a badge or emblem of the An family from the Northern Region. This meant the An family of the Northern Region had a deep connection with the Duke of Qingguo’s mansion. That An Zeyou knew her identity was no accident—he had known all along. In fact, her marriage substitution was likely a decision jointly made by Duke Qingguo and An Shengwu.

For two families to conspire in such a deception of the emperor, there was only one possibility: it wasn’t Duke Qingguo plotting rebellion, but Duke Qingguo aiding An Shengwu’s rebellion!

Perhaps the roster was originally intended for An Shengwu.

No wonder An Zeyou knew such a hidden back door and was so confident he could help her escape Duke Qingguo’s control.

Jiang Mo felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave. She thought she was about to gain freedom, but after that—would she fall into An Zeyou’s grasp instead?

Had An Zeyou planned this all along? What bullshit about a life-saving grace—it was clearly a trap.

Jiang Mo suddenly felt dizzy. Wangxia steadied her. "Princess, what’s wrong?"

She pushed Wangxia away and said to the steward, "I have a few words to say to my maid. Please wait a moment."

The steward glanced at Wangxia. "I’ll give you the time of one incense stick."

Once they were in a secluded spot, Jiang Mo grabbed Wangxia’s wrist and pulled down her sleeve. The emblem of the An Family Army was clearly tattooed on the inner side of her forearm.

"You’re working together with Duke Qingguo! Tell me, why does An Zeyou want to help me?"

Wangxia’s heart was racing. Afraid that Jiang Mo would refuse to leave, she quickly said, "Princess, the young master genuinely wants to help you. Please don’t read too much into this."

Jiang Mo gave a bitter laugh. "Is it because of my resemblance to Wei Yalan’s face? What exactly does he want? What does he plan to do with this face of the Princess of Yu? What does he intend to do with the identity of the Princess of Yu?"

Seeing Jiang Mo agitated, Wangxia deeply regretted not handling things better earlier, allowing Jiang Mo to catch on.

"Princess, no! The young master doesn’t mean any harm. He only wants to help you."

Jiang Mo shook her head. "Tell me—did he have a hand in my substitute marriage?"

Wangxia dropped her head and said nothing.

That was as good as an admission. Jiang Mo laughed bitterly. "I thought I had found a trustworthy friend, entrusted the safety of my family to him, and placed my life in his hands—only to realize I trusted the wrong person!"

"No!" Wangxia felt that continuing like this was futile, so she decided to speak the truth. "No, Princess, you haven’t trusted the wrong person. The young master… the young master loves you!"

The surroundings fell silent instantly, only the rustle of leaves in Jiang Mo’s ears.

"What did you say?" Jiang Mo looked at Wangxia in disbelief. "You’re saying An Zeyou loves me? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard."

Seeing Jiang Mo’s disbelief, Wangxia grew frantic. "The young master has loved you for a long time, Princess. It’s just that he’s used to playing the playboy, used to wearing a cynical mask, and doesn’t know how to love someone properly. The small courtyard south of the Moat River was prepared specially for you, Princess. The young master worries about your health and has me report on your condition daily. He also had a residence in Jiangnan prepared for you. The young master truly loves you."

Jiang Mo found herself recalling the last time she met An Zeyou, when he gave her a golden hairpin.

At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now, upon reflection, she felt she had been too oblivious. Why would a man give a woman a hairpin for no reason, especially such a valuable golden one?

When she left the Prince of Yu’s mansion, she had only taken two pieces of jewelry: the wooden hairpin carved by Chen Yingchou, and An Zeyou’s golden hairpin.

It seemed she would need to find a chance to return the golden hairpin to An Zeyou.

Seeing that Jiang Mo had calmed down, Wangxia said, "Princess, the young master would never harm you. Go meet Duke Qingguo, don’t worry. I’ll wait right outside the door. No matter what, I’ll see you safely out of here tonight."

Leaving was the last chance today. Whether An Zeyou was genuinely helping or laying a trap, she had no other choice.

"At this point, I have no choice but to trust him."

The steward escorted the two women to the door of Duke Qingguo’s study. "Princess, please."

Jiang Mo walked in, while Wangxia waited outside the door.

In the study, only Jiang Mo and Wei Chun were present. Wei Chun approached Jiang Mo and extended his hand. "Give me the transcribed roster."

Jiang Mo took the roster from inside her sleeve and handed it to Wei Chun.

Wei Chun flipped through it and frowned. "Why so few entries?"

Jiang Mo said, "This is indeed the roster I found." She was certain Wei Chun had never seen the real one. "If Your Grace has doubts, I can search again."

Wei Chun waved his hand. "No need. There aren’t many names here; perhaps it’s in two volumes. Finding one volume is already not bad. You don’t need to go again."

At these words, Jiang Mo was even more certain: Duke Qingguo never planned to let her go back tonight.

"Alright, wait here in the study. When the banquet begins, I’ll send someone to fetch you for the banquet."

Jiang Mo said, "Your Grace, may I take a walk around the mansion? It’s pretty dull waiting here."

Wei Chun’s face turned stern. "Today, the mansion is filled with people who have served you before. Better to keep a low profile."

With that, Wei Chun walked straight out of the study, and someone immediately locked the door on the outside.

Seeing Wangxia at the door of the study, Wei Chun was about to question her when the steward whispered something to him. Wei Chun said to Wangxia, "You don’t need to guard here. I’ll make my own arrangements."

Wangxia glanced at the two guards at the door and said, "Your Grace, the young master instructed me to watch over the Princess."

Wei Chun sneered. "Princess? After tonight, she won’t be anything of importance. If you want to watch, go ahead."

"Won’t be anything of importance"? Wangxia’s heart pounded. Duke Qingguo was clearly up to no good. Seeing him walk away, she called through the door, "Princess, are you alright in there?"

Jiang Mo came to the door. "Wangxia, remember: if something really happens to me, make sure An Zeyou gets my family out first."

Wangxia felt she couldn’t just sit idly. "Princess, don’t be afraid. I’ll think of something."

What could she possibly do? She had no martial arts skills and couldn’t split herself in two. Her only option was to look for tools or find someone to distract the guards so she could break the door down. But when she tried to find someone, she didn’t know whom to turn to. The spies planted in the mansion each had their own duties, and it wasn’t yet time for the banquet, so none of them were in place. Where could she find help?

Just when she had finally used the secret signal to find the person she was looking for and was walking toward the study, she saw Duke Qingguo also heading to the study, followed by a maidservant.

Wangxia looked at the overcast sky; she had been searching for people for too long, and the banquet was about to begin. She had wasted her time looking, so she immediately told the person she had just found to wait at the rendezvous point.

She sprinted a couple of steps and reached the study before Wei Chun.

Wei Chun stood at the bottom of the steps of the study, glanced at her, ignored her, and ordered the maidservant behind him to bring Jiang Mo out.

Wangxia stepped forward to stop the maidservant, saying, "No need, I'll go get the princess out myself."

With a look from Wei Chun, the guard beside him pulled Wangxia away.

"Your Grace, what are you doing? I am the princess's personal maidservant; I should be by her side."

Wei Chun said, "You are not needed tonight. Just stand by and watch."

"Why?"

Wei Chun looked at her contemptuously, as if to say she was not worthy of knowing. "Speak one more word, and you'll be thrown out of the residence."

With that, he signaled to the maidservant. The maidservant nodded, opened the door, and entered the study.

Only then did Wangxia notice that the maidservant the Duke had brought was very different from ordinary maidservants. Her posture was upright, she did not stoop or bow, her eyes were filled with killing intent, and her footsteps were light, as if she was skilled in martial arts. Suddenly, Wangxia remembered something. She had long heard that the Duke raised death warriors around him, both male and female. Could this person be one?

She couldn't help but look at the guards on both sides. Their eyes were also full of killing intent; they were clearly assassins as well.

It seemed the princess had guessed correctly: the Duke intended to silence her.

She dared not speak again, afraid she would really be thrown out of the residence, and then she would be unable to do anything.

Jiang Mo was knocked unconscious and carried out. The maidservant's shoulders looked thin, but carrying Jiang Mo was effortless.

Wangxia couldn't help shouting "Princess" and charged forward, but was blocked by two assassins. Duke Qingguo looked annoyed and said, "What kind of person did An Zeyou send? Too talkative. Knock her out and throw her out of the residence."

The maidservant carried Jiang Mo to a waterside pavilion by the lake. This spot was close to the birthday feast but not a place where guests could wander freely. It was also obscured by branches, making it hard to see clearly. The Duke's birthday feast was held in an open area of the garden. Anyone attending the banquet could see this spot with just a turn of the head.

Then the maidservant set Jiang Mo down, supported her, and said loudly, "Princess, the birthday feast is about to begin. Let's hurry over."

The woman must have used some martial technique; her voice was not loud but carried far. All the guests heard it and looked over.

The next moment, the railing of the waterside pavilion suddenly broke, and Jiang Mo slid into the lake like a clay doll.

The maidservant shouted, "Help! Princess Yu has fallen into the water! Princess Yu has fallen into the water!"

Everyone stood up, looking across the lake. Duke Qingguo raised his hand, and the assassins disguised as guards behind him jumped into the lake. They quickly fished Jiang Mo out. Without checking for breath or pressing on her chest to expel water, one of them carried her on his back and ran toward a side room.

Jiang Mo regained consciousness amidst a strong feeling of suffocation. As soon as she woke up, she found herself in the water. She struggled and flailed for a short while before being pulled out. Before her feet even touched the ground, she was carried on someone's back into a room, dropped onto the floor, and the door was closed.

She still had water in her lungs. She coughed violently for a long time before finally catching her breath. Feeling freezing all over, her wet clothes made her shiver uncontrollably. She looked around and realized this was Wei Yalan's side room. There was a charcoal stove near the bed. She got up and wanted to go warm herself, but after taking two steps, she stood stunned.

On the bed lay a woman whose face was exactly like hers.

The door suddenly opened, and Duke Qingguo's voice came from behind her: "Jiang Mo, it's time for you to leave."