Chapter 82

Chapter 82

He kicked open the door of the hall, yanking An Zeyou up from the bed. "An Zeyou, and here I thought you were a close friend, yet you dared to covet my crown princess! Tell me, where is Jiang Mo?"

An Zeyou had been drowning in drink every day since receiving Jiang Mo's letter, and was now in a drunken haze. Shaken awake by Chen Yingchou's roar, he sobered up a little, smiling lazily. "What do you mean, 'your crown princess'? Isn't your crown princess in the Dawn Twilight Hall? Wei Yalan, listen clearly, your crown princess is called Wei Yalan."

"Did you send Jiang Mo away? Where did you take her?"

"I don't know. If you're so capable, go find her yourself."

Chen Yingchou released his grip on An Zeyou's collar and began rummaging frantically through the hall. An Zeyou, wearing a loose, untied inner robe, with his hair disheveled and barefoot, stumbled crookedly over to Chen Yingchou and burst out laughing. "You fool, what are you looking for?"

"Tell me! How did you plan her escape?"

"By meeting each other, of course. Or are you looking for our letters?"

Chen Yingchou stopped, staring at An Zeyou's dazed expression, and punched him. "Snap out of it! Tell me, where is Jiang Mo?"

"What Jiang Mo? What do you want with her? How dare you even look for her? For over a hundred days and nights, were you blind in your eyes and deaf in your heart? You didn't even know who was lying beside you, letting that impostor do as she pleased. Weren't you supposed to be wise?" An Zeyou got up, grabbed a wine flask from the table, and took a swig. "If you loved her so much, why didn't you hold onto her? Now that she's gone, what are you doing coming to me?"

Every word from An Zeyou stabbed into Chen Yingchou's heart. "You're right. I was blind and foolish, and I deserve this. But she is my real wife. Tell me, where is she?"

"Fine. If you help me return to the Northern Frontier, I'll tell you." An Zeyou took another drink of wine, sitting on the square table. "You know I don't do business at a loss."

Chen Yingchou stepped back, steadying himself against the corner of the table, his expression grim. "Impossible."

An Zeyou let out two cold laughs. "Truly the fine Crown Prince of Dayu. In your heart, the people and the realm always come before everyone and everything. If that's the case, why be so attached? Isn't it better to let her live a peaceful life? Why disturb her?"

Chen Yingchou fixed his gaze on An Zeyou. "What 'let it go, don't disturb'? Just because you can't leave the capital to see her, you want to stop me? Don't try to conflate the realm with her. Who says the two can't both be obtained? If you won't tell me, do you think I can't find her? Even if I have to turn Jiangnan upside down, I will find her."

Seeing how An Zeyou had given up on himself, Chen Yingchou snatched the wine flask from his hand. "Qufei (An Zeyou), I still thank you for sending her away, for keeping Duke Qingguo from harming her."

An Zeyou slapped Chen Yingchou heavily on the shoulder. "Thank me, my ass. I liked her—naturally, I wouldn't stand by and watch Wei Chun silence her. That has nothing to do with you."

Chen Yingchou clenched his fist, raising it halfway before stopping. "For your sake in sending her away safely, I'll not hold the past against you. But from now on, if you dare to have any improper thoughts about her, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherhood."

Knowing he would get no more answers, he said nothing further and turned to leave.

Stepping out of the hall, Chen Yingchou said to He Ji, "Go and find me everyone from the Ministry of Works who was close to Jiang Bingzhong."

Chen Yingchou didn't resort to threats or bribery. He simply invited a few of Jiang Bingzhong's close associates for a drink. When the crown prince offered a toast, they dared not refuse.

The one in the know was not a heavy drinker. After he got drunk, Chen Yingchou got a few words out of him and learned that Jiang Bingzhong had come from Xiling County in Jiangnan eight years ago.

With that clue, finding Jiang Mo became easy.

*

Chen Yingchou omitted all the twists and turns, simply saying, "It wasn't until after Randong left that Lanqiu revealed the whole truth about the substitution. Wei Yalan is unkind at heart, and it's only fitting she is implicated in this. First, return to the capital with me. Once I've dealt with this matter, I'll be able to bring you back to the palace."

Jiang Mo straightened up, pulling away from Chen Yingchou's embrace. "Your Highness, this humble woman has no grand ambitions. I only wish to live freely. In the future, Your Highness will meet many women, and when you ascend the throne, you will have many consorts. As time passes, you'll forget me."

Chen Yingchou turned her around and looked at her tenderly. "No, it's futile how many I meet. Among all the women in the world, I only want you."

"I deceived Your Highness and burned the register, yet you did not blame me. I am grateful. During my time at Prince Yu's estate, Your Highness treated me well, and I was content. But those were all interludes in my life. This little courtyard is where I truly belong and want to live."

Chen Yingchou looked at Jiang Mo with a pained heart. "Look at you—plain clothes, no jewelry at all." He took her hand. "Your hands have grown rough too."

Jiang Mo smiled. "But my heart is at peace, very calm."

Yes, Chen Yingchou looked at Jiang Mo, rounder than before. Sure enough, after leaving him, no longer living in fear of being discovered as a substitute, she could eat and sleep well, and her health had improved.

This was supposed to be a happy moment, but he felt uneasy.

"Mo'er, tell me, am I in your heart?" Chen Yingchou looked at her hair bun. "Where is the wooden hairpin? Why aren't you wearing it today? You took nothing when you left, except that wooden hairpin I gave you. If I'm in your heart, why won't you come back with me?"

He took Jiang Mo's hand and placed it over his heart. "A Mo, come back with me. I can give you the peace and stability you want. If you don't want to enter the palace, I'll buy you a residence in Shangjing City, where you can live with your father and younger brother. You can plant jasmine trees in the courtyard, set up a flower trellis, and live the life you desire now. My request is modest—I only want you to be not far from me, so I can see you whenever I want. From now on, I will take no more concubines; you're the only one I want in this life."

Jiang Mo kept her head down, saying nothing. Her mind was a mess, as if under a spell. She found the life Chen Yingchou described almost tempting, and wanted to refuse, but could not bring herself to speak.

"Your Highness!" He Ji's voice was urgent. "Something has happened at the palace."

Chen Yingchou reached the courtyard gate, and He Ji whispered in his ear.

Jiang Mo watched as Chen Yingchou's expression grew increasingly serious, and noticed him glancing at her repeatedly. Fearing he might force her to go, and worried he couldn't focus on the matter at hand, she said, "Your Highness, don't worry about me. I will stay here, and go nowhere."

"How could Chen Yingchou be at ease? "Come with me. I don't know how long this will take."

He Ji told him that the Emperor had suddenly collapsed, and it seemed he would not recover. Chen Yingchou calculated the time—it was about time.

When the Emperor passes, from vigil to burial takes at least seven days, at most over twenty days. Then there will be the coronation ceremony and stabilizing the court, which will certainly take over two months.

"Your Highness, I will not return to Shangjing with you. During this time, I'll think it over. When you're done with your business and come back, I will give you my answer."

He Ji grew anxious. "Your Highness, returning to Shangjing will take several days. We must go."

Chen Yingchou pulled a wooden hairpin from his bosom. "I carved this for you anew." He placed it in Jiang Mo's hair, then reached out his hand. "Give me the old one. When you are not by my side, I will look at it to remember you."

Jiang Mo took the wooden hairpin from her sleeve and handed it to Chen Yingchou. "Your Highness, go quickly."

Chen Yingchou lingered, looking back repeatedly, but eventually left the small courtyard.

"He Ji, leave a group of guards to protect Miss Jiang."

"Yes."

Listening to the sound of horse hooves fading away at the gate, Jiang Mo removed the hairpin from her hair. She stroked the lifelike jasmine blossom, recalling the past, and felt how fate played tricks on her.

She noticed the hairpin shaft was not smooth. Examining it closely, she saw a line of small characters carved into it: "Without you for the rest of my life, longing with no one to hold. The world has lost its color; I only hope to see you in dreams."

This hairpin had no inscription originally. That day, after Wei Yalan stammered about losing the hairpin, Chen Yingchou had lain awake half the night, then got up and carved these words.

When others miss someone, they at least know who they miss. But at that time, Chen Yingchou seemed to be thinking of a phantom—someone intangible. His longing had no anchor; everything was dull and joyless, and he could only wait in dreams for his beloved's return.

Jiang Mo gently traced the characters, her heart surging with turbulent waves. It was as if the calm surface that had been holding back a raging abyss finally erupted into a giant wave.

It is said that a woman trapped in love can't free herself. It is said that if only life were as at first meeting. It is said that people's hearts are fickle. But if one is afraid of being hurt and dares not believe in sincerity, would they not spend their entire life in emotional cowardice? To sentence a true heart to death before it even begins—then one can never obtain it.

A life of weighing pros and cons is not wrong. A life of avoiding harm is certainly safe. But how fulfilling is that kind of life? Keeping a bit of reason while bravely stepping into the unknown—that seems worth a try.

She decided to try once, to give herself a chance, and to give Chen Yingchou a chance. Even if there were no everlasting ending, there would be no regrets.

Most importantly, she knew clearly that she loved Chen Yingchou.

Jiang Bingzhong pulled Jiang Bai out of the main room. "Mo'er, has His Highness left?"

Jiang Mo nodded, put the wooden hairpin into her bosom, picked up the food box, and placed the dishes on the table into it. "The food has gone cold. I'll heat it up."

Jiang Bingzhong had heard what Chen Yingchou said. He knew his daughter well. Watching Jiang Mo's retreating figure heading toward the kitchen, he held Jiang Bai's hand and murmured, "Your sister's starting to waver."

Jiang Bai didn't hear clearly. He saw cold dishes still left on the stone table, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

*

Two days later, Jiang Bingzhong went to the Ding family to cancel the engagement. How could the Ding family dare to disagree? By then, everyone in Xiling County knew that an important person from the capital had come to the Jiang residence. Although he stayed for less than two days before leaving, he left behind a group of men. They were clearly no ordinary men—each clad in armor, with longswords in hand, far beyond the county yamen runners and constables.

Moreover, the county magistrate went out of his way to show respect to the Jiangs, addressing Jiang Bingzhong as Lord Jiang, and sending people to renovate the courtyard, along with maidservants and manservants. The magistrate even came carrying gold and silver to visit the Jiangs, but before he could even reach the courtyard, the guards at the door turned him away.

No one dared to slander Jiang Mo any longer, especially in front of those guards. Everyone who passed by the Jiang residence would sneak past quietly, only daring to mutter gossip over tea and meals. Some even went to ask Ding Lizhu what had happened, only to be glared back fiercely by him.

So Jiang Bingzhong could no longer run his carpentry shop, so he gave it to Ding Lizhu. He hadn't fully mastered his skills yet; he worked in the shop during the day and returned to the Jiang residence at night to continue learning the craft.

He'd also steal glances at Jiang Mo, feeling frustrated and wanting another shot. But whenever he learned the craft, the guards would watch him from the side, never giving him an opportunity to approach Jiang Mo.

Over ten days passed like that, and Jiang Mo's belly grew visibly day by day. She no longer dared to bind her stomach for fear of harming the child, nor did she wear the loose garments to conceal it.

Only then did the guards discover she was pregnant. They summoned a physician for her and sent word of her pregnancy back to the capital. Chen Yingchou was both overjoyed and agitated, kicking himself for rushing. When he came and went in such a rush, spending less than two days in Xiling County, he had merely thought Jiang Mo looked plumper, assuming she was in good spirits and sleeping well after he left. He had even felt secretly hurt, never realizing she was pregnant.

He also wondered if Jiang Mo had deliberately hidden it from him.

No matter—even if she did hide it, he did not blame her.

The enthronement ceremony was imminent. He longed for everything to be settled, so he could bring her back, pamper her, cherish her, and never be separated again.

Soon it reached mid-July. The south was like a steam bath, the heat was suffocating.

Jiang Mo rose early, hoping to tend to the flower trellis before it grew too hot. She'd only messed with a few pots when the county magistrate entered the courtyard.

"Miss Jiang, someone's here from the capital. Come out and greet 'em." With that, he went inside to invite Jiang Bingzhong.

Jiang Mo figured it was Chen Yingchou, so she rushed to the door.

But when she saw who it was, she stopped in her tracks.

"What? Don't you recognize me?"