Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Chen Yingchou invited a highly accomplished abbot and a deeply enlightened Taoist master.

The abbot said: "There's nothing wrong with her spiritual essence."

The Taoist master said: "The soul and the physical body are one."

The next day, he knocked Wei Yalan unconscious again and brought in a traveling disguise master, asking him to examine her thoroughly. And, like before, the answer was no.

Chen Yingchou was completely out of ideas. Just then, he saw Su Jiying in the Kunning Palace and immediately brought her over to the Eastern Palace.

To his surprise, Su Jiying left after barely a few minutes. He asked her what she had said to Lan'er and whether Lan'er had remembered anything, but Su Jiying hesitated as if about to speak, then just walked away without a word.

What Chen Yingchou couldn't figure out, Su Jiying caught on right away.

Aside from twins, it was extremely rare for two people in this world to have faces so similar that others couldn't distinguish them. No wonder Chen Yingchou had thought of soul possession, thought of disguise, but never realized that the current Wei Yalan and the previous Wei Yalan were not the same person.

If she hadn't actually interacted with both of them, carefully observed their features, and noticed the slight difference at the corners of their mouths, she too would have been as baffled as Chen Yingchou.

Su Jiying believed that she wasn't the only one who had noticed this subtle difference. Among the maids who often attended Wei Yalan, except for Randong, who was pretty clueless, the other three had probably become suspicious too, but they kept their mouths shut and pretended not to notice.

And as for anyone else, who'd dare to stare closely at Wei Yalan?

This Duke Qingguo—he was taking advantage of the Crown Prince's blindness—the prince had never actually seen his own Crown Princess with his own eyes, and also taking advantage of his deep affection, using her amnesia to mess with his head.

Su Jiying knew Chen Yingchou must have suspected or investigated. But every time he suspected something, there was always a reasonable explanation, every investigation turned up nothing, and the maids dared not speak up—hence the current situation.

In fact, there were clues everywhere, but unfortunately, when something is beyond what you can wrap your head around, it's easy to be misled. Without someone pointing it out, you just stay lost in the fog, unable to see the truth.

Little did Su Jiying know that Chen Yingchou really had suspected that the previous Wei Yalan and the current one weren't the same person, and had sent men around with Wei Yalan's portrait to quietly ask around about people with similar looks in the capital. But Jiang Mo never went out without her veil, so how could he find the truth?

That said, now that Su Jiying knew, she planned to keep it from Chen Yingchou.

During the time after the drowning, she stayed away from Wei Yalan because she'd heard that Wei Yalan had lost her memory and didn't remember anything after her marriage—naturally, that included her. She had planned to wait until Chen Yingchou found a way to help Wei Yalan recover some memories before visiting. But she never dreamed Chen Yingchou would be going almost crazy by trying to restore Wei Yalan's memories.

Now, Su Jiying didn't tell Chen Yingchou the truth. First, she was scared the woman might already be dead, and she didn't want to make the people who cared about her even more miserable. Second, she figured if she was still alive but hadn't appeared, it meant the previous Wei Yalan didn't want Chen Yingchou to find her. As a friend, of course she'd help keep the secret.

However, she also missed the former Wei Yalan deeply. Where was she supposed to find her? Even Chen Yingchou couldn't crack this case—what could she do?

Just as Chen Yingchou, after exhausting all efforts to restore Wei Yalan's memory and after numerous doubts, had finally accepted that the Wei Yalan after the drowning was still his Lan'er—just that she had lost her memory, and that her voice and personality had changed—Jiang Mo had already arrived safely at Xiling County in Jiangnan.

The doctor that An Zeyou sent to travel with her was not only skilled in medicine but also knew some martial arts. Throughout the journey, he paid for all her meals and lodging without making her pay a single coin. Jiang Mo felt really bad about it, but the doctor said that if he didn't do so, he'd get in trouble when he got back, so Jiang Mo had no choice but to accept.

The men sent by Duke Qingguo to capture her, no matter how capable or skilled in martial arts, at most a few hundred men. They couldn't exactly launch a manhunt, and trying to find one little nobody like her across the vast territories of Great Qi was indeed very difficult.

Moreover, her father was originally from the capital. In his eight years at the Ministry of Works, he had only been a Sixth-rank Secretary. For such a minor official, the Ministry of Personnel's files were skimpy, listing only his name, place of origin, and his career after arriving in the capital. Nowhere did it say he'd ever lived down in Jiangnan, and her father had never mentioned it to others. As long as her father's old friend kept silent, no one would know, and Duke Qingguo would never guess they'd hole up in this little county.

For Duke Qingguo, as long as it didn't mess up his schemes and the matter of the marriage substitution wasn't exposed, it didn't really matter whether he caught her.

On the way, Jiang Mo had thought about buying back the small courtyard they used to live in. To her surprise, An Zeyou's carriage stopped right outside that very courtyard.

Seeing the familiar yard, Jiang Mo couldn't help asking, "A Bai, how much did you tell Master An? He managed to arrange the courtyard to look almost exactly like the old one."

Jiang Bai tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Brother An is very kind. I told him everything I knew."

Jiang Bingzhong sensed something was off. "Mo'er, since you don't have feelings for Master An, we can no longer accept his kindness."

Just as he finished speaking, a voice came from behind Jiang Mo: "I am Liu Gui. Greetings, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Mo turned around and saw the shopkeeper of Qinxin Perfumery. "Shopkeeper Liu, why are you here?"

"My master ordered me to arrive here a few days early to wait for you, miss."

Although Jiang Mo was touched, she felt uneasy. Ever since she left Prince Yu's residence, she had had no choice but to accept An Zeyou's arrangements.

Liu Gui continued, "My master instructed me to open a branch of Qinxin Perfumery in Jiangnan." He pointed to the shop across the street. "It's that one. It will open next month. I hope we can look after each other in the future."

Jiang Mo knew exactly what An Zeyou was trying to do. She didn't have a single romantic feeling for him, so how could she keep taking his help without feeling wrong about it?

She knew she could no longer pretend to be ignorant or avoid the issue. "Shopkeeper Liu, please take the physician and return to the capital tomorrow. If you don't leave, I'll have to pack up my father and brother tonight and go someplace else entirely."

Liu Gui had expected this result. Before coming, he had advised his master against this, but his master was stubborn and insisted.

"I understand, miss. We will leave tomorrow. But I ask you to write a letter, which I will deliver to my master, so that he can give up his hopes."

He had tried to dissuade An Zeyou, not only because Jiang Mo had no affection for him, but also because the old general would never allow it.

The emperor's relationship with the old general could no longer be reconciled. Even if Chen Yingchou ascended the throne, he would still be wary of the An family.

Under the rule of the Chen imperial clan, the An family could only be trapped generation after generation in the Northern Frontier until they were destroyed. If they didn't resist, within three generations, the entire family would be wiped out by the Chen clan.

The old general was planning to rebel. How could he allow his son to marry someone who had once been Chen Yingchou's wife?

Seeing this, the physician quickly fetched brush, ink, and paper from the carriage and placed them on the stone table in the courtyard.

Jiang Mo picked up the brush and wrote a letter, then handed it to Liu Gui.

Liu Gui took the letter and gave Jiang Mo a household registration document. When Jiang Mo hesitated to take it, Liu Gui said, "Miss Jiang, you need not feel indebted to my master. He did this willingly; you did not ask for it. With this household registration, you can live well here."

Jiang Mo had originally planned to spend some silver to buy a registration, but she didn't expect An Zeyou to have already handled it. She took the document, then pulled out the gold hairpin An Zeyou had given her from her bosom and handed it to Liu Gui. "Please also return this gold hairpin to Master An."

Liu Gui took out a handkerchief from his bosom, wrapped the hairpin in it, and said, "I will handle it properly, miss, rest assured. My master cannot leave the capital. You are a thousand miles apart. After a while, he will forget."

Jiang Mo curtsied to Liu Gui. "Thank you."

Liu Gui quickly bowed in return. "You flatter me, miss. Take care. Farewell."

After Liu Gui and the physician left, Jiang Mo and her father spent two days tidying up the courtyard, then went to the area in the west of town where craftsmen gathered and rented a shop, intending to open a carpentry workshop.

They had brought ample travel funds, and the carpentry shop was soon opened. On the second day, Jiang Bingzhong caught the eye of a wealthy family in the city who wanted a set of tables and chairs made.

Jiang Bingzhong couldn't handle all the work alone. Jiang Mo didn't know the first thing about carpentry, and being pregnant, she couldn't help much; A Bai was pretty much useless. So Jiang Bingzhong put up a sign for accepting apprentices.

Soon, three men came. He selected a strong, healthy man who loved woodworking and had a cheerful temperament.

The man's name was Ding Lizhu. Because his first two older brothers had not lived past a hundred days, his parents named him Lizhu—which means 'stand firm'—so that he might survive. After that, he did survive, and later his mother gave birth to a younger brother and sister.

He had been interested in wood since childhood, but his father was a butcher and forced him to butcher pigs. So he ended up slitting pigs' throats for years.

Until he saw the apprentice recruitment sign at the carpentry shop and the exquisitely made tables, chairs, and small ornaments on display. He made up his mind right then to apprentice there.

After being chosen by Jiang Bingzhong, Ding Lizhu brought his parents to the carpentry shop. As soon as Ding Lizhu's parents saw Jiang Bingzhong, they were stunned.

The man before them was dressed elegantly. Even when he rolled up his sleeves to do carpentry work, he couldn't hide a scholarly air. He spoke in a refined manner, clearly educated—totally different from the rough carpenter they had imagined. And when they

Jiang Mo delivered meals to the two men every day. Her cooking skills were quite ordinary, and since she hadn't cooked for a long time, the meals she made often made it hard for Jiang Bingzhong to stomach. Jiang Bingzhong often asked Ding Lizhu to buy food from the small restaurant across the street after Jiang Mo left.

Ding Lizhu was the opposite. He always cleaned his plate of food Jiang Mo made, and whenever he had free time, he would go to the Jiang family's place to carry water for Jiang Mo, clean for her, and help her take care of Jiang Bai.

He had to do a lot of work every day, but he never seemed tired, always cheerful, hardworking, and friendly. Jiang Bingzhong was very satisfied with him, saying he was clever and dexterous, a good hand at fine woodworking.

Days flowed by, simple and peaceful for a month. Jiang Mo was now five months pregnant, at the stage where her baby bump was starting to show. However, her belly was not big and was not very noticeable. She didn't deliberately hide it. When some women noticed and asked, she frankly admitted it, thinking that everyone would know sooner or later, so there was nothing to hide.

After that, neighbors around the small courtyard and shop began to point fingers at her, but Jiang Mo couldn't have cared less.

One day, just after Jiang Mo had delivered the meal and left, Ding Lizhu heard the couple from the blacksmith shop next door saying that Jiang Mo was indecent, that she must have had an illicit affair without a matchmaker and had been abandoned.

Ding Lizhu put down his work, rushed into the blacksmith shop, grabbed a red-hot long knife and pointed it at the couple. "She's not having an affair—her husband died! If you keep talking nonsense, don't say I didn't warn you!"

The shopkeeper of the wine shop, who was watching the commotion, chimed in, "So she's a widow, huh?" He shouted maliciously at Jiang Bingzhong, "Woodworker Jiang, I've got my eye on your daughter. I don't mind that she's pregnant. In a couple of days, I'll send a matchmaker with betrothal gifts to your house to propose."

Hearing this, Ding Lizhu put down the long knife, turned to the shopkeeper, grabbed him by the collar, and said, "Let me tell you, don't even think about Miss Jiang. You're not worthy!"

The shopkeeper snorted coldly, "Oh? If I'm not worthy, then you are?"

Ding Lizhu didn't hold back. He shouted, "Listen up, neighbors! I'm saying this now: I like Miss Jiang. From now on, anyone who dares to bully Miss Jiang is opposing me, Ding Lizhu. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"