Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Jiang Mo dared not approach, knelt and bowed, "Your subject pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress."

The eunuch Guixi beside her reminded, "Quickly change your address, call her Empress Dowager."

Jiang Mo froze for a moment, then quickly realized—so Chen Yingchou had left in such a hurry that day because the emperor had passed away.

The Empress Dowager approached her, "You've been a prince's consort for months now. From now on, you may stand when you speak. Get up."

Jiang Mo was over seven months pregnant, but she was still agile despite her pregnancy. However, kneeling down was easy, but getting up was somewhat difficult.

When Jiang Mo had left the courtyard and knelt from a distance, the Empress Dowager hadn't gotten a good look. Now, seeing her belly, she was thunderstruck and fell silent.

Guixi noticed too and sighed to himself. Originally, today's plan was to send Jiang Mo away from Great Qi, but it seemed the Empress Dowager was changing her mind.

The Empress Dowager reached out to touch her belly, "How many months along are you?"

She had always wanted her own child but couldn't conceive. Now, seeing Jiang Mo pregnant, she felt a strange happiness.

"Over seven months."

"Oh, so conceived around New Year. You were still with Chou'er in your third month. Why didn't you tell him? And when he came looking for you this time, you didn't say anything, did you?"

Jiang Mo was very flustered, unsure what the Empress Dowager intended to do—whether she would force her to abort the child or have her executed.

"I was just a substitute, so I didn't dare to say anything."

"I know you're clever and well-behaved. Not going back with Chou'er shows you know you're in an awkward spot—you can't be seen in public." The Empress Dowager frowned and looked up, thinking. "But you've conceived Chou'er's firstborn. Now it seems you'll have to follow me back to the palace, rest well, and await the birth."

Jiang Mo knew the Empress Dowager only cared about the imperial heir. Once the child was born, she might lose her life.

"I won't go. I'll wait for His Highness." She corrected herself, "His Majesty. I'll wait for His Majesty."

The Empress Dowager stayed calm, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. You'll return to the palace with me. I'll hide you away, and after you give birth, I'll give you enough silver to leave Great Qi with your family."

"And... and His Majesty? Will I still see His Majesty?" After finally making up her mind to be with Chen Yingchou, why did obstacles arise?

"Of course not. You'll never see each other again. Chou'er has left the empress's position vacant for you and appointed Wei Yalan as Noble Consort. Even if he eventually deposes the consort, it won't be your turn. You and Wei Yalan share the same face; if the entire court and the people of Great Qi see this, how will they gossip about the imperial family?"

"The forced marriage substitution wasn't my fault. Why should I bear the consequences?" Jiang Mo stared directly at the Empress Dowager, showing no timidity. She knew that if she didn't fight for herself now, she would be manipulated by the Empress Dowager forever.

The Empress Dowager chuckled, then laughed loudly. "It seems Chou'er has made you many promises, daring to speak to me like this. But don't forget—Chou'er is far away in the capital. Even if I killed you here, what could he do to me?"

Jiang Mo looked around; the Flying Cavalry Army guards who had been outside the courtyard were all gone.

The Empress Dowager followed her gaze. "What? Still hoping the Flying Cavalry Army would send word to the capital? Last night, they received a decree from His Majesty and withdrew."

If Chen Yingchou hadn't come himself, the Flying Cavalry Army wouldn't have left. Jiang Mo asserted, "You forged His Majesty's decree."

"How dare you!" Guixi barked. "You dare question the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling it was fine. "You don't think that just because you and Chou'er share mutual affection, you'll have a perfect life together, do you?

"Look at the Late Emperor—he deeply loved Consort Rong. After she died, though he didn't add to his harem, he occasionally favored other concubines, just not allowing them to conceive. Consort Rong died when the Late Emperor loved her most, leaving him to remember her forever. If she had lived, would the Late Emperor have loved only her for the rest of his life? Those heartbreaking stories, those admired romances, mostly end in tragedy. If you truly want Chou'er to love you for a lifetime, you should be clever: give birth and leave. Then you'll become the one forever etched in his heart, unforgettable. Isn't that good?"

Jiang Mo said firmly, "No! What right do you have to judge the love between the Late Emperor and Consort Rong? What right to judge the love between His Majesty and me? Even if one day His Majesty breaks his promise, at least I once had that love. I tried to love, gave my heart, believed, and even if I'm hurt in the end, the beautiful past cannot be erased. And I have my own judgment—I choose to believe His Majesty."

In this life, if one is always hesitant, lacking the courage to risk everything, how mediocre life would be.

Chen Yingchou had shown enough sincerity, and she had confirmed her feelings. For something unpredictable yet yearned for, why not be brave once?

The Empress Dowager studied Jiang Mo. "You and Wei Yalan are too different in temperament. No wonder Chou'er always had doubts." She stepped forward, staring into Jiang Mo's eyes. "Before, you always kept your head low and eyes down. I never looked at you closely. Today I realize your eyes are so different. If Chou'er hadn't been blind, Wei Yalan couldn't have fooled him for a day. However..." The Empress Dowager smiled coldly. "If you had faced a sighted Chou'er during the forced substitution, your identity as a substitute would have been exposed long ago. I wonder what the situation would be now."

Jiang Mo wore a cold expression. "The Empress Dowager certainly likes hypotheticals. But unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in life."

The Empress Dowager laughed and touched her face. "Though you two look the same, you dare to talk back to me. But still, I like you a little more. Don't always be so hostile. I mean you no harm. But the imperial family cannot indulge in personal romance. The state, the balance of power in the court, the people's support—all are more important than the emperor's personal feelings." The Empress Dowager turned and walked toward the carriage, tossing a remark to Guixi. "Escort Miss Jiang onto the carriage."

Jiang Mo stood still. She had mustered her courage, ready to step onto the path Chen Yingchou had paved for her. She didn't know if that path was long or short, thorny or smooth. She only knew it was the path her heart desired most. She wanted to follow her true heart. Even if she died halfway, she would accept it.

Suddenly, she understood Lin Mei. No one could live with absolute rationality, especially when they fall in love. All she could do was be a little more clear-headed than Lin Mei, to cut her losses in time when things are hopeless. But she hadn't even set foot on that path yet—how could she talk about cutting losses?

The path she should walk—she wanted to choose it herself.

But now, the Empress Dowager had taken away that choice and laid out a new path for her—one that might be free of thorns but also free of the man she loved.

No matter how smooth that path was, it wasn't the one she wanted to walk.

"I promised His Majesty I would wait for him here. I'm not going anywhere."

The Empress Dowager gave Guixi a look. Guixi nodded to the attendants behind him. "Escort Miss Jiang onto the carriage."

Jiang Mo knew she couldn't resist. Thinking of leaving a message for Chen Yingchou, she said, "Empress Dowager, allow me to go inside and pack my things."

The Empress Dowager didn't respond. Guixi waved his hand, and two attendants stepped forward—one grabbed her from behind, and the other pressed a silk cloth over her nose and mouth. In an instant, she lost consciousness.

"Careful, careful—don't hurt the little prince," Guixi warned, watching the two attendants carry Jiang Mo onto the carriage.

Once she was aboard, palace maids and attendants swarmed into the courtyard, packing her belongings.

Jiang Bingzhong and the county magistrate were blocked in the courtyard by the Empress Dowager's people. Seeing his daughter drugged and taken onto the carriage, Jiang Bingzhong charged forward despite the guards.

"What have you done to my Mo'er? Put my Mo'er down!"

Guixi hurried over and stopped Jiang Bingzhong. "Lord Jiang, don't worry. The Empress Dowager is taking Miss Jiang to enjoy a better life. You'll come along too. This is Her Majesty—best not to offend her."

He pointed to a carriage behind. "Lord Jiang, you and your son take that one."

Jiang Bingzhong looked back and saw Jiang Bai being carried out and placed into a carriage.

"Don't worry, it's just a tranquilizer."

Jiang Bingzhong shouted at the Empress Dowager, "Mo'er doesn't want to go, and neither do we. I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

Guixi snapped, "Do you want to die?!"

"I'm not afraid of death. After death, everyone becomes a pile of dust. What difference does it make whether one was noble or lowly?"

The Empress Dowager initially didn't want to bother with Jiang Bingzhong, but hearing this, she waved for the guards to let him approach.

"Jiang Bingzhong, Jiang Mo's father, a Sixth-Rank Secretary in the Ministry of Works, a carpenter. I didn't expect you to have spine. But then again, if you didn't have that, you wouldn't have raised such a stubborn daughter as Jiang Mo."

Jiang Bingzhong knelt and kowtowed. "I beg Your Majesty for mercy. Mo'er's forced marriage substitution was forced. I beseech you to spare her life."

"You don't think I intend to keep the child and kill the mother, do you?" The Empress Dowager shook her head. "Father and daughter indeed think alike. But I am not the Late Emperor. My imperial grandson won't grow up like the Seventh or Tenth Prince. I know Jiang Mo is innocent. Once the child is born, I will send you all safely out of Great Qi. The world is vast—you can go anywhere except Great Qi."

Jiang Bingzhong hadn't expected this. All his anxiety melted away. He had only wanted to return the imperial child to the imperial family.

"Still kneeling? Your children are already in the carriages. Do you want to stay here?"

Jiang Bingzhong stood up. "Fine, I'm leaving."

The Empress Dowager's carriage slowly departed. Gui Xi approached the county magistrate. "You know what to say about today's matter, don't you?"

"I know, I know." The county magistrate bowed, his face full of flattery. "Eunuch, do you think I have a chance to serve in the capital?"

Gui Xi curled his lips. "As long as you keep your mouth shut, naturally. If you can't keep your mouth shut, don't be the county magistrate anymore, and you'll lose your whole family's lives."

The county magistrate broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Watching the procession leave, the county magistrate wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand... At last they're all gone. The old days were more carefree."

The county magistrate's carefree days didn't last long. In the middle of the night while sleeping in his house, he was yanked out of bed.

"Talk! Where did the Jiang family go?" He Ji held a longsword against his neck, the blade's gleam made him flinch back.

"I... I don't know."

"How dare you deceive the emperor? Do you want to die?"

Chen Yingchou's gloomy face appeared behind He Ji. The dim candlelight left his face half in shadow. The county magistrate started trembling. "Your, Your Majesty! I, I truly don't know."

By deceiving the emperor, he would only lose his own life; by offending the Empress Dowager, he would lose the lives of his entire family.

What had he done in a past life to deserve this?

Chen Yingchou's heart felt as if gripped by an invisible hand. He held his chest and walked out.

He Ji sheathed his sword and followed him out of the room. "Your Majesty, I'll send men to search at once."

Having come full of anticipation, all he faced was an empty courtyard. The guards who had been watching the courtyard were also gone. Chen Yingchou understood that Jiang Mo must have encountered trouble.

"First send men to investigate the Northern Domain, then track down the guards who were watching the courtyard."

He Ji was somewhat puzzled. Why go to the Northern Domain? That was An Shengwu's territory. Does His Majesty think that An Shengwu's people had taken Miss Jiang?

In Chen Yingchou's view, An Shengwu was about to rebel, and An Zeyou knew Jiang Mo's importance in his heart. It was hard to rule out that An Zeyou might send a letter to An Shengwu and use Jiang Mo to blackmail him.

This time, Chen Yingchou was wrong. He underestimated An Zeyou's feelings for Jiang Mo. An Zeyou couldn't bear to let Jiang Mo be a hostage—it was too dangerous.