Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Long life and a hundred years, a lifetime of peace. Without his beloved by his side, what use was a hundred years to him?

The door closed, and An Zeyou heard Chen Yingchou outside instructing He Ji to prepare a carriage for him. It seemed they would soon send him away.

He sat dully on the bed, the memories of his time with Jiang Mo flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern. So it was that their time together in the tent back then had been their final moments, their last farewell—that embrace obtained through deception, that stolen kiss he could never speak of aloud, had become his last beautiful memory.

Before long, a eunuch entered carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.

He knew full well that it contained a sleeping draught. By the time he woke again, he would likely be far from his homeland, never to return.

No matter how unwilling or reluctant he was, fate had pushed him to this point.

An Zeyou lifted the bowl of medicine, closed his eyes, and drank it down in large gulps. He understood that all the beautiful hopes in his heart were shattered in that moment.

Early the next morning, Chen Yingchou ordered ten thousand troops of the Flying Cavalry Army to garrison in the Northern Territory. He Ji led the remaining Flying Cavalry back to the capital, along with Qiao Yun. He himself traveled south with Jiang Mo, accompanied by over twenty highly skilled guards.

Chen Yingchou was afraid she would tire, so they traveled by day and rested at night. Even if they couldn't find an inn, they would seek out a farmhouse to let her sleep well. After six or seven days like this, they had covered less than a hundred li. Jiang Mo felt it was too slow.

"Your Majesty, let's not rest tonight. Let's travel through the night."

Chen Yingchou lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. "It's almost dark, and there's a small village ahead. Let's stay there for the night and continue tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, we should speed up our journey." Jiang Mo was a bit anxious. At this pace, they wouldn't return to the capital until after the New Year. She wanted to find her father and brother as soon as possible. Moreover, the emperor had been away from the palace for so long; instability in the court was inevitable.

Chen Yingchou tapped her nose. "Call me husband. It's been so many days, A Mo, and you've forgotten again."

Jiang Mo grabbed his hand, a serious expression on her face. "Does Your Majesty not worry about state affairs?"

Chen Yingchou smiled. "Call me husband."

Jiang Mo sighed helplessly and called out, "Husband."

Chen Yingchou nodded with satisfaction. "Don't worry, A Mo." He looked at her tenderly. "Actually, when I set out to suppress this rebellion, I didn't plan on returning. I've already arranged everything: I appointed our Yan'er as crown prince, put the Tenth Prince in charge of regency affairs, and the court's loyal ministers have followed me for a long time. The court won't be unstable."

"What do you mean, you didn't plan on returning?" Jiang Mo had a guess. Since their reunion, she had never been allowed out of Chen Yingchou's sight. If she got up early and wasn't in the room, or got up in the middle of the night for water, as long as he opened his eyes and didn't see her, he would break out in a cold sweat. She thought he would gradually improve, but instead he became more and more clingy, never leaving her side.

In truth, this rebellion wasn't so serious as to require the emperor's personal campaign. Even if he did lead the campaign, there shouldn't have been any danger to his life. His saying that meant he didn't want to live anymore.

Chen Yingchou realized he had misspoken. He turned his head away, his voice a little flustered. "A Mo, don't overthink it. I just don't want to go back to the palace. I want you to stay outside with me for a few more days."

He was too afraid of losing Jiang Mo, and he didn't want her to go through childbirth again with all the anxiety. But if Great Qi only had one prince, the Empress Dowager and the ministers would surely pressure him to fill the harem. Just thinking about facing that made him irritable, and he didn't want to go back.

"Chen Yingchou, why don't you want to live? Is it because of me?"

Jiang Mo called him neither "Your Majesty" nor "husband." Chen Yingchou knew she was truly angry.

"How can you, the ruler of a nation, speak lightly of life and death? You can die for the nation, die for the people of the world, but you absolutely cannot die for any one person. If you die because of me, even if I die, I won't be able to rest in peace!"

Chen Yingchou embraced Jiang Mo. "A Mo, don't say that. You won't die. Don't speak of yourself that way." He rested his head on her shoulder. "But A Mo, you are so important to me. During the time I lost you, I lived every day in the agony of longing. Living was nothing but suffering. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I sought release."

He looked up at her, his eyes full of tears. "So, A Mo, you must live well. Only if you live can I live."

Jiang Mo knew Chen Yingchou loved her, but she hadn't known it was to this extent. She wasn't delighted, but rather heartbroken, a little at a loss, and felt the weight of it all.

Life is full of unexpected events. She also wanted to live well, but she couldn't predict the future, nor could she decide when her own life would end.

"Chen Yingchou, I will treasure my own life." She cupped the man's face. "I promise you, I will never leave you in this lifetime. And you must promise me not to belittle your own life because of anyone's departure."

Chen Yingchou nodded with tearful eyes. "Alright, I promise. Don't be angry with me anymore."

Jiang Mo's heart softened beyond measure. She wiped away his tears. "I'm not angry. Such beautiful eyes should smile more. And you are the supreme ruler. Don't cling to me all the time. I'm not going to run away."

Chen Yingchou said aggrievedly, "It's not that I'm afraid you'll run. I'm afraid someone with ill intentions will take you away and hurt you."

Jiang Mo's heart ached. "You are the emperor now. Can't you protect me?"

Chen Yingchou held her shoulders, tears welling up again. He lowered his head and shook it. "I clearly didn't protect you, did I? Even as emperor, Mother still sent you away. A Mo, I know I shouldn't cling to you all the time, but I'm so afraid that if I take my eyes off you, you'll disappear again. I've lost you three times. Whenever I can't see you, I can't control myself from imagining all sorts of bad things. A Mo, I will change slowly, but please, don't find me annoying or be bothered by my clinginess."

Jiang Mo's heart surged like waves. Her eyes reddened. "How could I find you annoying? I just can't bear to see you live in constant fear. If I had known this would happen, I should have told you everything back when we were at Prince Yu's residence. If I hadn't left the first time, everything after that might have been different. Chen Yingchou, all those bad things are in the past. From now on, I will stay by your side forever—this life, the next life, life after life, clinging to you until the end of time."

Jiang Mo thought that with this promise, Chen Yingchou's worries would ease a little.

She kissed him on her own initiative, and their salty tears flowed into their mouths.

Jiang Mo wrapped her arms around Chen Yingchou's neck. Her kiss was soft, moist, and trembling slightly.

Chen Yingchou understood: Jiang Mo was telling him that she loved him, wouldn't leave him, didn't want him to live in the fear of loss, and wanted him to live more freely. He also understood that she cherished his life even more than he did.

He shouldn't remain trapped in the shadows of the past. It was time to untie the knots in his heart.

"A Mo..." Chen Yingchou couldn't resist Jiang Mo's initiative. He panted, "I will live well. I want to grow old with you."

His large hand cradled the back of her head, and Chen Yingchou returned her kiss. The gentle kiss gradually became passionate. He restrained himself, afraid of hurting her.

But Jiang Mo actively deepened the kiss, as if telling him he could do as he pleased.

His chest instantly felt filled, light flashed in his mind. He kissed her with such force for the first time, like a starving wolf, as if he wanted to devour her.

Jiang Mo's gaze grew dazed, her body softened like water, clinging tightly to Chen Yingchou.

Chen Yingchou felt his own arousal. He realized they were in the carriage and would soon enter the village ahead. He controlled himself, resting his forehead against hers. "A Mo, we're almost at the small village."

Jiang Mo blushed and nodded.

*

After that, they traveled another six days and finally reached Jiangnan.

During those six days, Chen Yingchou began to learn to control himself. He stopped clinging to Jiang Mo every moment. Whether at midnight, dawn, or during the day, when he didn't see her, he would first calm himself for a moment before looking for her. And Jiang Mo always informed him of everything, giving him a sense of security.

In the winter month, Jiangnan was cold, but it didn't have the biting chill of the capital. When they arrived at Xiling County, it happened to be a warm and sunny afternoon. The sky was high, the clouds pale, and there was no hint of winter's desolation in the air.

The group easily found their way to the former courtyard.

Jiang Mo stepped forward and knocked on the door, calling out, "Father, A Bai, I'm back."

A strange woman's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

Jiang Mo's heart leaped. She didn't answer but turned to look at Chen Yingchou. He put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently. "Don't worry."

The woman who opened the door was about twenty years old. "Who are you looking for?"

Jiang Mo said, "I used to live in this small courtyard. May I ask when you moved in? Have you seen a father and son?"

The woman studied them, glanced at the guards outside and the exquisite, luxurious carriage, and hesitated. "Are you Jiang Mo's daughter?"

Jiang Mo quickly replied, "Yes, I am Jiang Mo."

Hearing the affirmative answer, the woman scrutinized Jiang Mo with a complex expression. “Uncle Jiang left you a letter. Wait here, I'll fetch it for you.”

Jiang Mo breathed a sigh of relief—at least there was news of her father.

After a moment, the woman came back with two letters and asked, “And who is this gentleman to you?”

“He’s my husband.”

The woman nodded, handed one letter to Jiang Mo, and burned the other.

Jiang Mo was confused. “Miss, what’s this about?”

“Uncle Jiang said, if you came with your husband, give you this letter and burn the other. If not, do the opposite in that case.”

Jiang Mo quickly opened the letter and read it.

*My daughter Jiang Mo, your father is overjoyed. You have married the one you love. Life is short, and I am off to live freely—I won’t keep you company. Do not search for me, do not miss me. Your father, Jiang Bingzhong.*

Jiang Mo’s hands began to tremble. She looked at the ashes of the other letter and realized she had missed her chance to find her father.

“Miss, did my father say anything else?”

“Uncle Jiang said, if you come with your husband, you’ll surely give me a lot of silver. If not, there might be none.” She held out her hand. “Lucky for me you came with your husband, so hand over the silver.”

At a glance from Chen Yingchou, a guard behind him placed a gold ingot into the woman’s hand.

The woman held the gold, eyes lighting up, and carefully tucked it securely into her bosom.

Jiang Mo thanked her and left.

Back in the room, the woman said to the man inside, “Husband, so that’s the Miss Jiang everyone talks about. No wonder you insisted on marrying her back then—she’s truly beautiful. You really don’t deserve her. At best, you barely deserve me.”

Zhang Lizhu lowered his head with a smile, continuing his carpentry. “You’re right. I was just daydreaming.”

“But your master—why didn’t he go and enjoy the good life with her? Miss Jiang’s husband looks like someone of wealth and status.”

Zhang Lizhu didn’t look up, his hands never stopping. He ruined the table leg while sawing, not even noticing. “I don’t know.”

But he did know. The master didn’t want to be Jiang Mo's burden, weakness, or leverage. He didn’t want to get drawn into court disputes or let others use him to hurt Jiang Mo.

The woman took the gold from her bosom, wiped it with a handkerchief, and put it back. “You keep working. I’ll make us some food.”

Zhang Lizhu finally stopped his work. He looked at the closed courtyard gate, then glanced toward the kitchen, stood frozen for a moment. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up a new piece of wood, and continued sawing.