Chapter 94

Chapter 94

An Zeyou walked to the center of the banquet with a wine flask and cup, poured himself a cup, and raised it high. "Father, your son has not been home for ten years. I can only return today thanks to your protection. I'll drink this cup."

After drinking, An Zeyou went over to An Zexin, glancing at the woman and child beside him. "I couldn't attend when you married, Big Brother, and this is my first time meeting my little nephew." He hooked the wine flask using the hand that was holding the cup and pulled out a jade pendant from his chest. "This is a gift granted to me by the Late Emperor. Give it to my little nephew to play with."

An Zexin patted his son's head. "Thank your Second Uncle."

The child said in a childish voice, "Thank you, Second Uncle."

An Zeyou smiled and touched the child's face. "What a good boy."

Then he added, "Sister-in-law, I brought some things for ladies from the capital. Go pick one out."

The woman curtsied. "Thank you, Second Brother."

An Zeyou refilled his cup. "I'll finish this cup, Big Brother. Take your time."

After drinking, he went to An Jinzhi. "Sister, why are you still single? If you keep waiting, you'll never get married."

An Jinzhi rolled her eyes at him. "So what if I don't marry? Leading troops into battle is way more fun than being a dutiful wife and mother."

She picked up the wine flask on the table, filled An Zeyou's cup, and filled her own. "Drink!"

They clinked glasses and drank. An Zeyou returned to sit beside Jiang Mo.

An Shengwu clapped his hands, and several dancers entered. Amid music and dance, everyone tasted the food and toasted each other. Jiang Mo asked An Zeyou, "Where is Madam An?"

"Mother's illness hasn't recovered. She insisted on welcoming me today but felt unwell. After the banquet, I'll take you to see her."

Jiang Mo nodded but had no desire to go.

An Zeyou took the mung bean soup from Jiang Mo's table. "You're still recovering from childbirth, don't drink this. Later back in the room, tell me what you want, and I'll have the kitchen make it." He then placed the tremella soup from his own table in front of Jiang Mo.

Jiang Mo said, "You drink it. I have some." She tried to return it, but An Zeyou grabbed her wrist. "Everyone is watching. Don't embarrass me."

Jiang Mo had been keeping her head down, but now she looked up and saw that all eyes were on her, no one watching the dance.

She met their gazes one by one and saw that they were all kind and friendly, with warm smiles.

Such a warm, loving, harmonious family. In the An family's hearts, An Zeyou had been away for ten years, suffering for ten years, and now that he had finally returned, they couldn't spoil and indulge him enough.

An Zeyou didn't hide his affection for her, and the whole family seemed to accept their relationship. She didn't want this to continue. She looked at him seriously. "When do you plan to tell Old General An about my identity?"

She believed that once the An family knew who she was and what she had been through, they would no longer treat her kindly.

"Jiang Mo, I know what you're thinking. What you hope for won't come to pass."

An Zeyou stood up. The lead dancer, catching on, stopped and led the other dancers away.

"Father, Big Brother, Sister, I have something to say." He glanced at Jiang Mo. "I fell in love with a woman in the capital. Her name is Jiang Mo, and she's right beside me. I want to marry her."

An Shengwu looked matter-of-fact. "Good. I think Miss Jiang is excellent. As long as you like her, I have no objections."

An Zeyou stepped forward. "Father, I don't want to marry blindly. I have something to say about Jiang Mo's identity."

At these words, the banquet fell silent. An Shengwu looked gravely at his son.

"Father, do you remember when Wei Chun found a substitute bride?"

An Shengwu straightened up, a little tense. "I remember." He had a feeling his son was about to drop a bombshell.

An Zeyou took a deep breath. "Jiang Mo was the substitute for Wei Yalan. She was the Princess Yu. Just last month, she gave birth to the current Emperor's child. The Empress Dowager couldn't tolerate her and wanted to kill her. I saved her."

"What!"

All three An family members stood up at the same time.

Before An Shengwu could speak, An Zexin said, "Second Brother, you're crazy! Miss Jiang is the mother of an imperial prince. The An family can marry any woman, but we must not mess with the Emperor's woman."

An Jinzhi said, "That doesn't matter." She looked at Jiang Mo. "Let me ask you, Miss Jiang, are you willing to marry my second brother?"

Before Jiang Mo could answer, An Shengwu laughed loudly. "My son has guts! He dares to steal the Emperor's woman. That's my boy! Life is short, so do whatever you want. As long as you don't mind that she was another man's woman, I have no objection." He pointed at An Zeyou. "But listen, boy—once you choose her, treat her well for the rest of your life. Don't get bored of her after a few years and dump her."

Jiang Mo was stunned. She finally understood why An Zeyou had no fear. This whole family was audacious and reckless.

She didn't know that An Shengwu had also snatched Madam An away from a bad situation.

Madam An was the daughter of the late Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. Her father betrothed her to a man who seemed virtuous but turned out to be a drunkard and gambler who lost her dowry and abused her. An Shengwu rescued her and married her.

Jiang Mo walked to An Zeyou's side and curtsied to An Shengwu. "Old General An, I have something to say."

An Shengwu raised an eyebrow, sizing up Jiang Mo, nodding as if appreciating a treasure. "Speak, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Mo stepped forward. "I refuse to marry Master An."

"What!"

The An family, who had just sat down, stood up again.

An Zexin said hastily, "Second Brother, since she doesn't agree, forget it."

An Jinzhi sighed, sat back down, and shrugged. "Second Brother, how did you trick this girl into coming home?"

Jiang Mo continued. "Master An saved me from danger several times, and I am deeply grateful. But my heart belongs to another. I believe Old General An also hopes that your son will marry a woman who truly loves him. Please let me leave."

An Jinzhi finally understood. "Second Brother, you forced her?"

An Shengwu didn't respond to Jiang Mo but looked at An Zeyou. "Zeyou, what do you say?"

An Zeyou knelt, his robes spreading out. "Father, in this life, I only want Jiang Mo. Even if she doesn't love me, as long as I can keep her by my side, I will gladly bear any cost."

An Shengwu looked troubled. "You're crazy, boy—crazier than your father. I need to think this over."

Jiang Mo felt utterly hopeless. The banquet had crushed all her hopes. She no longer dared to hope she'd ever see Chen Yingchou or her child again. Her only wish was to be free for the rest of her life.

If she had to stay trapped with An Zeyou forever, how would that be any different from being a walking dead?

She spoke up louder. "Old General An, as a father, you love your son. You feel sorry for him for being away for ten years, guilty, and want to make it up to him. You'd even agree to such a ridiculous demand. But I don't want this. If you force me to stay, I'll kill myself before giving in."

Jiang Mo pulled out a dagger she had hidden in her sleeve and, without hesitation, thrust it toward her neck. The sharp tip broke her delicate skin. She had stolen the dagger to defend herself if An Zeyou forced himself on her, never imagining she'd use it this way.

Seeing the blood on Jiang Mo's neck, An Zeyou remembered the time he had forced her to play the zither. He should have known that such a stubborn woman would never give in so easily. But he couldn't bring himself to let her go.

He instinctively stepped forward, and Jiang Mo pressed the dagger in deeper, blood trickling down her neck.

"Don't press any harder." An Zeyou slowly reached for the dagger. "Give me the dagger. Don't hurt yourself. Here," he pointed to his chest, "stab me here. I won't resist."

An Zeyou yelled, "Come on! Go ahead and kill me!"

Jiang Mo found it laughable that she had always been threatened and used, yet now she was threatening someone else with her own life. An Zeyou was as pitiable as she was—his genuine feelings had become his Achilles' heel.

She never thought loving someone was wrong, nor did she doubt An Zeyou's feelings for her. But she could not force herself to accept someone she did not love.

"An Zeyou, we could have maintained a gentlemanly friendship. Why did you let things come to this? We..." Before Jiang Mo could finish, An Jinzhi struck the back of her neck, and she fainted.

An Zeyou stepped forward and cradled her in his arms. "Father, no matter what decision you make, I will not change my mind."

Watching An Zeyou's retreating figure, An Jinzhi was still shaken. She patted her chest to calm herself. "When he was young, he was such a modest and refined gentleman. How did he become so stubborn as an adult?"

An Zexin added, "Father, I think we should find a chance to secretly send Miss Jiang away. Yesterday, our informant sent word that Duke Qingguo has confessed against you. The new emperor has already issued an edict summoning you back to Shangjing. The decree should arrive in a few days. War is imminent—how can we afford to dwell on romantic affairs?"

An Shengwu propped his hands on the low table. "Zeyou has never been on a battlefield. I had planned to leave him behind to take care of your mother. If we win, all is well. If we lose, he can take your mother and flee far away. But now, Jinzhi, you stay. Let that boy go to war, let him taste blood and death, so he stops obsessing over romance."

An Zexin disagreed. "Father, do you really think Second Brother is afraid of death? He spent ten years in Shangjing—that was a silent battlefield. He must have brushed past death countless times. Perhaps Miss Jiang is his only comfort, which is why he clings to her so stubbornly. Still, Father is right. Second Brother should gain experience on the battlefield. Let younger sister stay. With her here, I can rest easy about Xiao Rou and the child."

An Jinzhi said, "I won't stay. Sister-in-law is thoughtful, and Father has arranged everything. If something goes wrong, she can safely take the little nephew and Mother away."

An Shengwu irritably drank a cup of wine. "This battle is a life-and-death struggle. I want all of you to stay. Even if you spend your lives fleeing, it's better than dying in battle."

He slammed the table. "The late old emperor had no regard for brotherly bonds and passed away too soon. I've spent half my life being cut by his slow knife, living in fear. If not for you children, and out of consideration for your second brother, I would have raised an army long ago. Even dying in battle is better than living like a coward."

An Jinzhi found her father contradictory. He had just said fleeing was better than dying in battle, then said dying in battle was better than living like a coward. She understood—given the circumstances, from the moment trust between the An family and the Chen imperial clan was shattered, this day was inevitable.

"Let's all go. Don't tell your mother about tonight." An Shengwu left the table, and everyone dispersed. The welcome banquet ended in discord.

An Zeyou sat beside Jiang Mo's bed. He had dismissed all the servants. His eyes were vacant, staring blankly at the woman on the bed, at the wound on her neck. All memories swirled in his mind, and gnawing remorse gnawed at his heart. He wished he could go back to the day when Wei Chun had discussed the substitute marriage with him. If only there had been no substitution, no subsequent events, and they could have met anew—would Jiang Mo have fallen for him then?