Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Jiang Mo turned around, momentarily unable to discern whether Duke Qingguo meant for her to leave or to die.

Seeing her silent, Duke Qingguo assumed she was unwilling. "You're unwilling? Could it be you still covet the title of princess? If you don't leave, I'll have no choice but..." Wei Chun deliberately sighed heavily. "Today is my birthday, and it's bad luck to kill. I'll have your father's hands and feet broken first."

So he truly meant for her to leave, but Jiang Mo caught the real intent behind his words.

It wasn't that he wouldn't kill her—it was that he couldn't kill her in the Duke's mansion, nor on his own birthday.

Ha, looks like today's a good day to stay alive.

"I'll go. I'll go."

Jiang Mo glanced at Wei Yalan and marveled inwardly: The resemblance is truly striking.

"Leave the city first, and tomorrow your family will be reunited." Duke Qingguo, growing impatient, ordered a death warrior beside him, "You, escort her out of the city. Make sure it's done properly."

Reunited? Jiang Mo sneered inwardly. More like reuniting on the road to the underworld.

"Your Grace." A steward's urgent voice came from outside the door. "Prince Yu has arrived, and so has the Aji envoy."

Wei Chun's expression immediately tensed. He hadn't expected Prince Yu to come. He shot the death warrior a look, who grabbed Jiang Mo's arm and dragged her away.

Jiang Mo had no strength to resist; her arm ached from the grip. Duke Qingguo's voice reached her ears, "Quickly, summon the madam and Physician Li, and call all the maids who previously served the young lady."

The death warrior took long, forceful strides, carrying her like a sack of potatoes.

Jiang Mo looked back and saw Chen Yingchou striding into Wei Yalan's courtyard from a distance.

Under the light of the stone lanterns in the yard, the man, in brocade robes and a jade belt, was strikingly handsome. She noticed at once that Chen Yingchou's eyes were not covered by a silk band. Even from afar, she could see the anxiety in those eyes she had once kissed and caressed. Chen Yingchou walked hurriedly, the green sachet at his waist swaying, making Jiang Mo's eyes sting with emotion.

She wanted to steal one more glance, but the next moment, she was dragged onto a dim path.

The death warrior hauled her along the path out of the mansion and threw her into a carriage.

The carriage was small, shabby, and bumpy.

At that moment, Jiang Mo had only one thought: she hoped An Zeyou had managed to send her father and brother away.

She had no idea how long they'd been traveling before the carriage suddenly stopped. Sounds of fighting came from outside. Jiang Mo lifted the curtain and saw several black-clad figures locked in combat with the death warrior.

Though the death warrior was skilled, the black-clad figures were no less capable and outnumbered him. Soon, the death warrior was overwhelmed and finally killed with a sword to the throat.

One of the black-clad figures approached her. On the dark forest path, she couldn't make out his face and shrank back in fear. When he drew closer, she cried out, "An Zeyou!"

Tears streamed down her face. "I thought I was a goner."

An Zeyou dropped his sword and pulled Jiang Mo into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect Duke Qingguo to switch Wei Yalan back tonight. Jiang Mo, I won't let anything happen to you again."

He held her so tightly that Jiang Mo could barely breathe. At that moment, her heart was filled with gratitude and an indescribable emotion that kept her from pushing him away.

An Zeyou had truly become her hero, yet she couldn't even bring herself to say thank you, because she knew the repayment he wanted was something she couldn't give.

She stood stiffly, letting An Zeyou hold her.

Feeling that Jiang Mo was soaking wet, An Zeyou quickly removed his cloak and wrapped it around her. "I'll take you to see Lord Jiang."

He held her firmly as they walked toward the horses. Passing the death warrior's body, he ordered, "Dump the carriage and the body on the forest path outside the city. Make it look like they escaped, so Duke Qingguo thinks they headed west."

"Yes."

An Zeyou helped Jiang Mo onto the horse, then jumped up himself and pulled the reins. The horse galloped off.

"Don't worry, everything will go smoothly."

Jiang Mo nodded. She wanted to say something grateful, but her lips moved, and the words wouldn't come. She feared that if she spoke, An Zeyou might take the chance to confess his feelings.

She'd play dumb. Even if Wangxia told An Zeyou she knew how he felt, or even that she knew about An Shengwu's rebellion, as long as An Zeyou didn't say it to her face, she'd keep playing dumb.

An Zeyou led her to a village on the city's edge. In the pitch-black night, only one small courtyard glowed faintly.

The horse stopped outside the courtyard. An Zeyou helped Jiang Mo dismount. "Tonight, to save you, I called in too many shadow guards. I need to clean things up, then I have to go back to the Flower Scent Pavilion and keep up my playboy act. I won't go in with you. I've arranged people around the courtyard. Rest easy."

Anyone but a stone-hearted person would be moved by his thoughtfulness. Jiang Mo felt she should at least say thank you. She took off the cloak and handed it to An Zeyou. "Tonight, thank you."

"You should thank yourself. Thanks to your kindness, if Xiang Tong's mother hadn't come to the Qinxin Perfume Shop to report, I wouldn't have known Duke Qingguo planned to kill you tonight."

As soon as Jiang Mo entered the Duke's mansion, Xiang Tong's mother had hidden in the shadows. After seeing Jiang Mo thrown into the lake, she immediately took a note to the Qinxin Perfume Shop. At that time, An Zeyou didn't know exactly what had happened. He quickly gathered his men and rushed to the Duke's mansion.

He found Wangxia knocked out at the back gate of the Duke's mansion. She only told him that Duke Qingguo intended to silence them, and didn't say anything else.

Just as An Zeyou was about to change out of his night clothes and charge in to find Jiang Mo, he happened to see Jiang Mo being dragged out and thrown into a carriage.

An Zeyou and his men quietly followed the carriage until it reached an empty forest path, before they made their move.

"I'll come see you tomorrow." He patted Jiang Mo's shoulder. "Go inside, it's cold."

Jiang Mo nodded, gave An Zeyou a grateful look, and walked into the courtyard.

Meanwhile, in Wei Yalan's chamber, the physician was wiping sweat from his forehead as he reported to Chen Yingchou, "When the princess fell into the water, she must have banged her head and hurt her brain, which is why she hasn't woken up."

Chen Yingchou looked at He Ji. "Ride like the wind to fetch Divine Doctor Bai and Imperial Physician Xu."

At the mention of Divine Doctor Bai, Duke Qingguo's face went pale instantly. He had heard that this Divine Doctor Bai had cured Prince Yu's eye ailment. If the divine doctor came, how could he keep the secret?

"There's no need to trouble Divine Doctor Bai. My daughter should wake up soon."

He gave the physician a look, and the physician said, "Yes, I wasn't finished speaking. The princess has taken my medicine. She'll wake up within the time it takes to burn an incense stick at most."

Behind the screen, Wei Yalan and Liu Yingrong, who had heard the conversation, were extremely nervous. Wei Yalan signaled her mother with her eyes that she was scared.

Liu Yingrong shook her head and gave her a stern look, then patted her head to reassure her not to be afraid.

"Lan'er, you're awake, Lan'er!" Liu Yingrong called out loudly.

Chen Yingchou hurried to the bedside. The moment he looked at Wei Yalan, the longing of many days came flooding out. If not for the others in the room, he would have pulled her into his arms to ease his aching heart.

He asked softly, "Lan'er, you're awake?"

Wei Yalan timidly looked up at him and was instantly captivated by Chen Yingchou's gaze.

She had never seen a man with such gentle eyes. Those eyes held a thousand emotions—anxiety, worry, heartache, longing—like finding a pair of eyes in a sea of people that looked only at her.

With her beauty, she had not lacked men confessing their feelings, but their gazes were always shallow attraction and lust for her appearance.

No one had ever looked at her with such restrained yet deep affection.

Chen Yingchou quietly gazed at Wei Yalan. Finally, he could see his wife. His wife was truly beautiful, even more so than he had imagined.

Wei Yalan felt her tense mood ease, and she nodded.

Liu Yingrong said, "Lan'er got a scare. Please allow her to stay here for a few days to rest."

Chen Yingchou took a step forward, but saw Wei Yalan shrink back into Liu Yingrong's arms. His heart lurched; he had no idea why.

"Lan'er, would you like to return to the Prince Yu's Mansion with me, or stay here?"

Wei Yalan didn't say a word, just lowered her head and leaned against Liu Yingrong's shoulder.

Liu Yingrong gave Wei Yalan's back a comforting pat and said to Chen Yingchou, "Lan'er wants to stay here."

Chen Yingchou felt something was very wrong. Why wasn't Wei Yalan speaking? All the words were spoken for her by Liu Yingrong.

"Lan'er, don't you want to touch my eyes? I can see now." Chen Yingchou took a step forward, but Wei Yalan suddenly pulled the quilt over her head, as if pushing everyone away.

A sharp pain shot through Chen Yingchou's heart. What had happened to his Lan'er?

He didn't dare step closer, fearing he might upset Wei Yalan. He stepped back and said, "Very well. Stay here. Three days. In three days, I will come to take you back."

Wei Yalan nodded from beneath the quilt.

Seeing that Lan'er was okay, he felt relieved. As for why Lan'er was now so afraid of him, he'd have to wait three days to ask.

For now, there was another important matter he had to settle.

"Duke Qingguo, the envoy from Aji has come specially to offer birthday greetings. The treaty negotiations have dragged on too long. Let us finalize it today."

Wei Chun knew his terms were harsh and hadn't insisted—he just didn't want the Rong Kingdom to sign the treaty so easily. Now that Prince Yu had spoken, he naturally had to show deference.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

At the birthday banquet, the guests were waiting for the honoree and Prince Yu. Everyone longed to see Prince Yu and to know if the rumors were true—had he really regained his sight?

When they saw Prince Yu, many were stirred with emotion. The Ninth Prince—once so radiant, driven, and exceptional—had returned.

This was also why Wei Chun had swapped Wei Yalan back. When Prince Yu was blind, Wei Chun had been unsure whether An Shengwu could succeed. Now that Prince Yu had regained his sight and returned, the situation had become even more difficult.

Unfortunately, not only did An Shengwu hold leverage over him, but even his life was in An Shengwu's hands. Thinking back to how An Shengwu had tricked him into drinking a slow-acting poison, leaving him no way to retreat, he truly felt he had gotten onto a sinking ship with no way off.

However, An Shengwu was no pushover; he might still achieve something. Wei Chun decided to watch how things developed and make his decision later.

If Lan'er stayed in favor and Prince Yu's feelings didn't change, he could expose An Shengwu and ask the Divine Doctor Bai to cure him of the poison. If Lan'er fell out of favor, although Prince Yu would continue to treat her well, he wouldn't go out of his way to protect her father. In that case, Wei Chun would have to help An Shengwu smuggle black gold to save his own life.

In short, as long as the swap wasn't revealed, Lan'er would not be implicated. Then he would act according to circumstances.

At the banquet, with Chen Yingchou's mediation, Duke Qingguo and the Aji envoy reconciled. Thus, the treaty between the two kingdoms was finally concluded.

After the banquet, Chen Yingchou did not return to the small courtyard where he had been treated. Instead, he went directly back to the Prince's Mansion and entered the Chaomu Courtyard.

Qiao Yun had long since sent word for the household to prepare for the Prince's return. But he hadn't expected his master to go straight to that courtyard, especially since the Princess Consort wasn't even in the mansion. He didn't understand why his master was going there, so he quickly sent the young eunuch following him to announce the Prince's arrival.

However, the Prince Yu of today was no longer the blind man who needed support and walked with difficulty. By the time the young eunuch had delivered the message, Chen Yingchou had already stepped through the courtyard gate.