Chapter 97

Chapter 97

There was no one else in the room. She got up and went to the window. The scene before her was familiar—this should be the inn she and An Zeyou had stayed in before.

Everything on the street was as usual: vendors were hawking their goods, customers were buying. She even saw two soldiers finish their tea at the teahouse across the street and pay the shopkeeper.

The local people and the An Family Army were getting along harmoniously.

She had long heard that the Northern Frontier was well-governed under An Shengwu, with the people living in peace. It seemed the An Family Army was disciplined, and An Shengwu genuinely cared for the people like his own children.

Both the Chen and An families were treating the people well, neither side was wrong from their own perspective. Yet, amidst the power struggle and mutual suspicion, a war had inevitably broken out.

Still, Jiang Mo was very puzzled. Despite rebels having attacked the city, why did Sucheng look so untouched, with no signs of war at all?

With a creak, the door opened, and the maidservant walked in. "Miss, you're awake? Let me help you bathe and change."

Jiang Mo wanted to ask, but she felt the maidservant probably knew nothing, so she didn't voice her doubts. Instead, she asked directly, "When is General An going to see me?"

"General An said that for now, it's better if you two don't meet."

At the time, Jiang Mo didn't understand, but later, when she finally saw An Shengwu, she realized what he meant.

After resting for three days in Sucheng, Jiang Mo watched from the upstairs window as the An Family Army packed up, presumably to continue their march. That evening, as Jiang Mo looked at the meal the maidservant had brought, she asked, "Is there any knockout drug in this?"

The maidservant's hand trembled, and her eyes darted away.

Jiang Mo put down her chopsticks. "I'll go along willingly. Don't drug me anymore—I get a headache when I wake up."

The maidservant stood frozen. Jiang Mo added, "Make me a new meal. No need for anything fancy—just a simple bowl of noodles."

With that, she left the table and walked to the window. "Or buy two buns from downstairs, that's fine too."

A bit embarrassed, the maidservant took the tray back. "I'll prepare a new meal for you, miss."

When she brought it up again, it wasn't noodles or buns, but an even better spread than before.

"The General said you are clever. As long as you behave, you'll be given good food and drink, and won't be drugged anymore."

Jiang Mo smiled faintly and didn't respond.

After nightfall, the maidservant draped a black cloak over Jiang Mo and led her onto a carriage, which followed behind the marching army.

Jiang Mo had been lying—she had wanted to escape. But soldiers surrounded her on all sides, so she could only claim she needed to relieve herself. The maidservant accompanied her off the carriage.

Walking to a secluded patch of grass, the maidservant suddenly said, "Miss actually wanted to escape, didn't she? There are many wild beasts in the mountains at night. Miss could try to flee, but she might not make it out of these woods alive."

The maidservant knelt before Jiang Mo. "Miss, if you truly run, I'll lose my life. Please, save me and stop thinking of escape. There's no need to be afraid—the General has no intention of harming you. He told me to take good care of you."

"What exactly does General An intend? Why does he insist on bringing a useless woman like me along on a military campaign?"

"I don't know."

Jiang Mo helped the maidservant up. "Get up first. I won't run again."

After five days of marching, the troops set up camp on a high, open grassland. Behind the camp was a creek, and in front, a clear view of Zhangcheng.

These days, Jiang Mo had been confined either to her tent or her room, with no zither, no storybooks, not even cloth or needlework—she was bored out of her mind. She really wanted to take a walk by the creek behind the camp. The maidservant thought it over a long time before agreeing to accompany her for half an hour.

After nightfall, the maidservant helped Jiang Mo into her black cloak and led her out of the tent.

The soldiers on guard trusted the maidservant and didn't stop them.

As they got close to the creek, they heard a man and a woman talking.

"Miss, we'd better not let anyone find us. This couple is probably here for some private time. Let's wait until they leave before we go over."

In the military camp, the cooks and laundresses were either soldiers' families or, mostly, defeated captives or poor women. The camp was full of hot-blooded men, so such trysts were common.

Clearly, their intimate moment was over. The woman lay in the man's arms, making small talk.

"Once we take Shangjing and drive the Emperor out of the palace, when General An sits on the dragon throne, I'll marry you."

"Are you serious? I hear the women in Shangjing are all fair and slender. By then, you'll definitely get distracted."

The man kissed her. "None of them are as good as you."

"You're so annoying," the woman said playfully.

"So you're sure General An can reach Shangjing?"

"Of course. Look at Sucheng—the defending army didn't even fight. The Flying Cavalry came to reinforce them, but they were few in number. We beat them easily, and the garrison commander of Sucheng personally opened the gates to let our army in."

So the Sucheng garrison had long since defected to An Shengwu. No wonder Sucheng showed no signs of being attacked.

Only the Flying Cavalry, sent to reinforce them, fought to the death. The garrison hadn't lost a single man.

"But this Zhangcheng is tougher it seems. We've been attacking for more than ten days and still haven't taken it."

"I heard from Li Qianhu's mistress that this time, the Emperor sent an imperial inspector from Shangjing, with the power to execute first and report afterward."

The man sat up abruptly. "Years ago, General An turned the commanders of some cities, planning to exhaust the Flying Cavalry by attacking city after city. Now it's uncertain."

The woman's voice was filled with worry. "What if we lose?"

"Then we'll all die."

At that, the two seemed to lose interest and left.

Jiang Mo walked to the creek, her heart heavy. Moonlight shone on the water, and the air was fresh. She trailed her hand in the creek, lost in thought.

Not long after, a bugle suddenly sounded from the camp.

Jiang Mo asked quickly, "What's happening?"

The maidservant shook her head. "I don't know. We'd better go back."

As they returned, they could see in the distance that the camp's soldiers were gathering. Jiang Mo thought to herself—were they going to attack the city tonight?

Jiang Mo couldn't sleep all night. She stayed awake until dawn. The An Family Army didn't return. What came back were more wounded soldiers. The main force only returned after three full days.

Out of the thirty or forty thousand who had marched out, fewer than ten thousand came back.

Looking through the carriage window, the camp looked desolate. Occasionally, a soldier passed by, either wounded or utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Did the An Family Army lose?" Jiang Mo asked as the maidservant entered. "Is the second young master still alive?"

"The second young master got a minor wound. It's nothing serious."

Jiang Mo nodded lightly and looked out the window without speaking again, lost in thought.

The maidservant, however, seemed to have started talking a mile a minute, tidying up as she spoke: "The An Family Army has suffered heavy losses this time, but the Flying Cavalry Army hasn't gained any advantage either." She sighed. "Miss, that couple we saw by the creek that night—the man died in battle. When I passed by just now, I heard the young woman crying her heart out."

Jiang Mo's eyes stung with pain, and she turned her gaze away from the window.

The maidservant paused her movements and looked at Jiang Mo. "Miss, if General An is defeated, the An family will surely be executed by the Emperor. Will we all have to die together?"

"No," Jiang Mo said, gazing toward the capital. "His Majesty wouldn't do that."

"Who says he won't?" The tent flap was shoved aside, and a burst of cold wind rushed in. Jiang Mo shivered and pulled her collar tighter, following the sound with her eyes. Her pupils dilated instantly as she stared at the newcomer in shock.

"Miss Jiang, I've come to ask for your help." An Shengwu walked in, in bloodstained armor. The two soldiers behind him were also drenched in blood.

The stench of blood hit her, and Jiang Mo instinctively stepped back.

An Shengwu sat down on a chair, fixing his gaze on Jiang Mo. "Do you know what the situation is in the capital?"

Jiang Mo didn't understand why An Shengwu was asking her this, so she could only shake her head.

"Before my second son brought you back to the Northern Frontier, news from the capital had already reached my ears." He narrowed his eyes, sizing Jiang Mo up. "You must have some outstanding qualities to make my son so infatuated, and to make that little emperor grant you the posthumous title of Empress of Virtue and Culture. I heard he even wrote your epitaph himself. Tell me, if that little emperor sees you alive, won't he be overjoyed? And what would he be willing to trade for you?"

Jiang Mo felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.

She was shocked by Chen Yingchou's posthumous title, and in that instant, she understood why An Shengwu had kept her with him all along—and the words the maidservant had said that day.

"Originally, I planned that if we successfully breached the capital, I would grant my son's wish and let you two marry. But as you see, that little punk Chen Yingchou has led the imperial army himself and captured my eldest son alive. So I have no choice but to trouble you, miss. Trading you for my son and a city—that's a fair trade."

"Despicable, shameless!" Jiang Mo said, her eyes sharp. "And I actually respected you as a hero who fought off invaders. Turns out you're just a petty man who uses women to get what he wants."

An Shengwu sneered disdainfully. "Might makes right. It doesn't matter how you win; winning is all that counts."

"Does An Zeyou know about this?" Jiang Mo's heart was panicked. She did want to see Chen Yingchou and return to him, but not under these circumstances.

"How could I let him know? Even if he finds out later, so what? Right now, I'm only curious about one thing: how deep is that little emperor's affection? Would he be willing to yield a city for you?"

Jiang Mo realized that An Shengwu was on his last legs—about to be defeated, with no other choice but to resort to such a desperate plan. It was truly a clever scheme: if Chen Yingchou actually yielded a city for her, it would not only give the An Family Army a chance to regroup, but also brand him as a lustful ruler, blinded by beauty.

This rebellion was almost over. She couldn't let herself become the sinner who prolonged the war.

She knew she couldn't resist. All along, she had been swept along by fate, step by step, until she ended up on the path she least wanted to walk.

If it came to this, she would have no choice but to die to make amends.

Jiang Mo yanked the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it straight at her neck. An Shengwu was quick. His long sword swung out and knocked the hairpin away.

The hairpin scraped the soft skin of her neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

"You want to die? It's not that simple. Even if you die, it'll be after that little emperor hands over my son and gives up the city." An Shengwu bellowed, "Guards! Tie her up and get her out of here."