Chapter 96

Chapter 96

After dinner, the An residence suddenly became buzzing with activity. Jiang Mo went to the courtyard and stopped a maidservant. "What are you doing?"

"General Jinzhi has dismissed some of the staff. Those who remain will leave the Northern Frontier with the general tonight."

Jiang Mo immediately understood: Chen Yingchou's imperial decree had arrived. An Shengwu had not accepted it and was about to start a rebellion.

She watched the servants frantically packing their belongings in the courtyard, the ground a mess of scattered belongings.

An Zeyou, clad in armor, walked in and spotted Jiang Mo in the courtyard immediately. He pulled her inside. "Don't stand in the courtyard. It's cold and windy today, and you're still recovering from childbirth. Be careful not to catch a cold."

This was the first time Jiang Mo had seen An Zeyou in armor. He looked nothing like the carefree, wild man from the capital. She couldn't help but wonder: if An Zeyou had not been An Shengwu's son, if he hadn't had to pretend to be a playboy and hide his talents, could he have been a pillar of the imperial court?

"Is this battle truly unavoidable?"

An Zeyou draped an arm over Jiang Mo's shoulder and sat her down. "The arrow is already nocked; it has to be loosed. Is it better to die kneeling or to die standing? To gamble for a slim chance of survival or to wait for death? What choice would you make?"

Jiang Mo grabbed the cold iron of An Zeyou's armor. "No, you should understand His Majesty. If Old General An accepts the decree and goes to the capital to make his intentions clear, His Majesty won't kill him."

"What? Do you want me to be a hostage in the capital for the rest of my life? After my elder brother inherits the position of Commander-in-chief of the An Family Army, and then later my little nephew becomes the next hostage—will the An family continue this cycle forever?" An Zeyou's gaze was both jealous and fierce. "Is Chen Yingchou all you think about? Do you not realize how suspicious a ruler can be? Even if he doesn't pursue this matter now, sooner or later he will slowly destroy the An family.

"If sacrificing me alone could save the An family from destruction, then so be it. But the An family is a thorn in their side—how could they not pull it out? Do you know why this imperial decree came so slowly? It's because Chen Yingchou knew Father wouldn't accept it, and he was making his defensive preparations in advance. If we don't strike first, the court will come to kill us."

Jiang Mo stared blankly at An Zeyou. "How did it come to this? Weren't you close friends?"

"Wasn't Father also a close friend of the Late Emperor? Even if Father handed over the An Family Army willingly, Chen Yingchou would still worry about a resurgence and try to eliminate us by any means." An Zeyou lowered his head, a hint of irresolvable melancholy in his eyes. "Jiang Mo, this is an unsolvable deadlock, an open scheme. Everyone's intentions are laid bare, yet there is no way to break it."

He stroked her hair. "This is not something you should worry about. Tonight, you'll go with my sister to Li State for shelter. This battle is extremely perilous. If I die in battle, that'll be what you want—you'll no longer be trapped here by me."

Jiang Mo did want to leave, but she had never wished for An Zeyou's death. He had saved her life more than once—how could she hope for him to die?

"There's something I haven't told you yet." Remembering the events in the capital, An Zeyou felt a strange reluctance to let go. "Wangxia and Liu Gui don't know you're still alive. I didn't tell them when I left. Following me would only drag them into this war. They're doing well enough in the capital. There's no need for them to be entangled with the An family anymore."

A wave of sorrow washed over Jiang Mo. An Zeyou was not an evil man; in fact, he was kind-hearted, responsible, and capable. He had wasted half his life hiding his talent. Now that he finally had a chance to use it, it was to rebel alongside his father—against his own sworn brother.

"Jiang Mo, haven't you always dreamed of a free and unrestrained life? When all this is over, I'll go with you to find Lord Jiang and A Bai, and live the life you want."

When all this is over? When would that be? When An Zeyou died and the An family was destroyed? Or when Chen Yingchou was killed and the dynasty changed?

And what kind of life did she want? It was something An Zeyou could never give her.

Jiang Mo firmly believed that only the An family would fail. She also believed that Chen Yingchou would spare An Zeyou's life out of their past friendship.

"Just focus on coming back alive." Her tone was icy, but An Zeyou felt warmth in his heart. "I knew it—you do care about me. You don't want me to die. For your sake, I will definitely come back alive."

An Zeyou drew closer. "Jiang Mo, before you go, can I hold you one more time?"

Jiang Mo lowered her gaze and said nothing. An Zeyou gently embraced her, his arms encircling her thin frame. "If that time at Luoyun Tower, I hadn't been prejudiced against you, hadn't hurt you or used you, if I had been honest with you and protected you, would you have loved me?"

"An Zeyou, life cannot be replayed. Regretting past actions is meaningless. If you don't want to regret the future, don't make any more mistakes now." Jiang Mo pushed him away. "Send me back to His Majesty. Let me persuade him. Even if I can't save Old General An, at least I can save the lives of the rest of the An family."

An Zeyou looked at her in disbelief, feeling his body gradually turn cold. He stepped back, furious. "Jiang Mo, do you have no heart? After everything I've done for you, you say such cruel words to me right before I go into battle? Are you still dreaming of returning to be empress? Don't you know the Empress Dowager wants your life? Chen Yingchou also believes you're dead. Soon, the imperial harem will be filled with new concubines. Your child will call another woman mom. Chen Yingchou will soon make another woman empress, and she will give birth to the legitimate heir. Your child will be forgotten. A century later, he'll be buried with his empress, while you—a nobody who can't even enter the imperial mausoleum! Jiang Mo, falling in love with Chen Yingchou was your mistake. You..."

*Slap!* An Zeyou was slapped across the face.

His ears rang, and his mind went blank for a long time before he snapped out of it. What had he said? Why had he ripped open Jiang Mo's wounds? Why had he spoken so recklessly and hurt her? "Jiang Mo, I was wrong. What I said was wrong. I..."

Jiang Mo pointed outside the courtyard, her voice trembling. "Get out! Get out!"

An Zeyou fell silent, looking at her with an apologetic expression.

Jiang Mo shoved him out and slammed the door shut. The moment the door closed, she broke down sobbing. Every word An Zeyou had said struck her heart like a knife, yet they were the truth.

Chen Yingchou would eventually install an empress and take concubines. Many women would surround him, offering him gentleness. Gradually, he would forget her. As for their child...

*Their child.* The thought of the child tore at her heart with intense longing, causing her unbearable pain. That was her child, the one she had given birth to after so much suffering, yet she hadn't even been able to see him once.

"Jiang Mo, I'm a bastard. I shouldn't have said those things..." An Zeyou stood outside the door and slapped himself twice in the face. He had to admit that his jealousy of Chen Yingchou had driven him mad, causing him to lose his reason and say such hurtful words.

"I'm leaving. I don't know if I'll come back alive from this battle. Take care of yourself."

He stood by the door for another quarter of an hour. The door never opened. He had no choice but to slink away.

Jiang Mo curled up on the bed, her heart clenching again and again. The pain made her hug herself tightly. She had been trying so hard not to think about Chen Yingchou, not to think about the child. Why did An Zeyou have to tear apart her paper-thin defenses, leaving her longing utterly shattered?

Tears streamed down, soaking the pillow. After crying until she was exhausted, she drifted into a restless sleep.

"Miss Jiang, we need to leave now." A maidservant woke her. Jiang Mo opened her swollen eyes and looked out the window—it was pitch black outside.

The maidservant helped her up and draped a thick cloak over her. "Miss, is there anything else you need to take?"

Jiang Mo glanced back instinctively. She realized there was nothing here that belonged to her, just like when she had left Prince Yu's manor—nothing to take.

She touched her hair. She hadn't even kept the jasmine hairpin.

"No. Let's go."

At the gate of the residence, An Jinzhi came forward and pointed to the largest carriage. "You and Mother will ride together. Keep her company along the way. I've also put your qin in the carriage. If you get bored, you can play for Mother."

Jiang Mo asked, "Shouldn't the young mistress and the young master accompany Madam An?" She looked at the smaller carriage behind. "I'll take that one."

An Jinzhi said, "Mother has never met you. She wants to see you. The Northern Frontier borders Li State—it's only a day and a night's journey. Just keep Mother company. This is also your second brother's wish."

Jiang Mo wanted to refuse, but just as she was about to speak, a soldier ran up and whispered something to An Jinzhi.

An Jinzhi frowned and looked at Jiang Mo. "Father wants to see you."

The soldier said, "Miss Jiang, please come with me."

Jiang Mo felt uneasy, but she had no choice but to comply.

She followed the soldier to a dark spot, he suddenly turned around and threw a handful of powder at her. She lost consciousness instantly.

When she awoke, she was in a military tent.

Seeing her awake, a maidservant approached and asked, "Miss, you've slept for a whole day and night. You must be hungry. I'll go fetch some food for you."

The maidservant was about to leave when Jiang Mo called her back. "Wait." She rubbed her aching temples and looked at the unfamiliar maidservant. "Whose servant are you?"

The maidservant replied, "I serve in the main courtyard. General An sent me to attend to you."

An Shengwu had locked her up here. What was he planning?

"I want to see General An."

"The general is meeting with the young general and your second brother. I'll go inform him shortly."

The maidservant poured her tea. Jiang Mo took a sip. "Does An Zeyou know I'm here?"

"I don't know, miss. The general personally ordered that you stay here. Only I and the soldiers guarding outside the tent know."

This maidservant was quite forthright. Jiang Mo thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what An Shengwu really wanted, so she decided to wait and see.

"I'm hungry. Go bring some food."

Jiang Mo waited in the tent for a whole day but didn't see An Shengwu, nor did she ask the maidservant to fetch him. She knew pushing him was useless—he would appear when the time came.

After waiting for over ten days straight, An Shengwu still hadn't come to see her. It had rained several times that autumn, and the weather turned cold. The tent was freezing at night. The maidservant brought in a charcoal brazier and seemed in good spirits. "Miss, the general has won a battle and captured Su City. Tomorrow we can move into the city to live."

Jiang Mo's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help asking, "Was the Flying Cavalry Army defeated?"

The maidservant replied, "Yes, our An Family Army has won. After a few days of rest in Su City, the army will set out to attack Zhang City."

Jiang Mo lay awake all night. She never imagined the Flying Cavalry Army would be defeated. She thought the rebellion would be suppressed quickly, never expecting it to come to this.

The next morning, when the maidservant brought her some congee, she had just started to feel drowsy. She took the bowl and drank it, not realizing it had been laced with a sleeping potion.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the tent. Judging by the room, it looked like a guest room in an inn.