Hearing this, Doulü became even more furious. She was foolish—in that critical moment, unable to think of any good plan, she had blurted out that he was her husband.
“Although he’s ruthless, he still has deep feelings for my sister. And I’m the last bait he can use, so in the short term he won’t harm me. If he killed you, I would become a—” The word “widow” was too difficult to speak. Her face reddened as she held back, simply omitting it. “I’d be heartbroken, and my sister would never forgive him. However, once your identity is confirmed, you’ll probably find it hard to escape his deadly hand. That’s why I asked, why did you appear at all?” It was completely throwing yourself into the trap.
Jin Yin smiled. This girl was fundamentally just as clever as her sister. Not only had she invented an ingenious excuse he hadn’t thought of, but now she also considered that walls have ears and didn’t argue strongly with him.
“You two, quiet down.” The cart driver had no pleasant tone.
The two exchanged glances and stopped talking.
“Why did Jin Yin do this?” At this moment, Mo Zi was asking Yuan Cheng the same question.
“Chu Yu is already dead. Back then, his father the prince of Yuling personally announced his death from illness, and the entire nation observed three months of mourning rites. A dead person suddenly says he’s come back to life and wants to restore his nation. Mo Zi, what do you think?” Yuan Cheng liked to ask her opinion.
“The common people probably won’t be convinced. Even if the Yuling army acknowledges it, they might think they’re randomly finding someone to impersonate him.” Mo Zi was naturally perceptive about military topics. “But what does this have to do with him being captured? Wu Yanqie won’t let him live. For Daqiu, controlling a puppet crown prince is much easier to deal with than a fugitive prince as wealthy as a nation.”
“Who better than Daqiu to verify Jin Yin’s identity? Once word of them capturing Jin Yin reaches Great Zhou and Nande officials’ ears, they’ll all confirm that Jin Yin is the second prince. Additionally, there’s something Jin Yin wants to do personally.” Yuan Cheng pulled Mo Zi to sit down—she was too tense.
Mo Zi sat but remained rigid. She waited for him to finish speaking.
“He wants to see his elder brother once. The most convenient method is for Wu Yanqie to take him there.” Yuan Cheng poured a cup of hot tea and pushed it to Mo Zi’s side. “This was within the plan: Wu Yanqie wanted to use Doulü to lure you back to Daqiu, and Jin Yin would use himself as bait to rescue Doulü. Doulü cleverly feigned death—though outside the plan, if things had played out that way, she could have escaped disaster. Who knew the fool would think she really died and couldn’t restrain himself, suddenly revealing himself. As for Doulü having no choice but to come back to life to save someone, even claiming Jin Yin was her husband—I truly never anticipated that at all. Her adaptability precisely made up for the inadequacies in our predictions. You really have a clever sister.”
“Doulü has always been clever. She just has a quiet temperament and doesn’t interact much with people. But actually, the principles of growing flowers and getting along with people are interconnected. I’ve long since told her about Wu Yanqie’s ruthlessness. If you all thought he would first confirm Jin Yin’s identity before killing him, that would be a grave mistake. His murderous intent would come faster than Jin Yin could buy his life with vast wealth. Doulü knew this, which is why she pretended they were husband and wife.” Mo Zi suddenly had a headache. “She’s my only sister—I want her to marry a good man. Jin Yin is not an ideal candidate.”
Yuan Cheng showed a curious expression. “He’s your sworn second brother. I thought you’d consider him quite good.”
“His responsibilities are too heavy. If the restoration fails, he might spend his whole life running around frantically, with Doulü following him in displaced wandering. If the restoration succeeds, he’ll be a nation’s ruler, and then Doulü might become his empress. And then what? Watch him hold imperial consort selections, filling the harem positions one by one? Better to marry someone devoted—even a small humble household would be fine—who can grow old together with her, with no others interfering. I hope Doulü can be happy.”
“Is this what your sister thinks, or what you yourself think? Never mind rulers—even slightly better-off families commonly have men with three wives and four concubines.” Yuan Cheng suddenly asked.
“I particularly detest men with more than one wife. Whether it’s me or my sister, we’d rather remain unmarried our whole lives than share a husband with others.” Her heart stirred, and unknowingly her most genuine thoughts poured out completely to him. She wanted to know if he would show a surprised expression.
But Yuan Cheng’s expression was unreadable to her. Only his ink-dark eyes without a ripple, his mouth corner seeming to hook up, yet seeming still to be a straight line.
“In that case—” He looked into her eyes as if seeing the deepest heartstrings within. “We’d better select another marriage match for Doulü. I already felt Jin Yin was unreliable, and I was worried you’d fix the two’s nominal status because of Doulü’s casual remark. Speaking of candidates better than Jin Yin, I really do have one. Yang Ling. How about it? He often says he’s waiting for the person to share a lifetime with. I think he’s quite devoted.”
Mo Zi stared at him for quite a while. How did those words of his make her heart feel strange? Where exactly was it strange? Yet she couldn’t say.
“This matter—let’s wait until we rescue Doulü to discuss it.” Yang Ling matched with Doulü might indeed be a good match.
“Doulü will be fine.” Yuan Cheng waited for Mo Zi to finish that cup of hot tea, then stood up. “Tonight there’s a banquet at Wangqiu Tower. Let’s go.”
“Yuan Cheng, my sister has been captured by Wu Yanqie. Do you think I’ll be in the mood to drink?” Even if she appeared calm on the surface, she wasn’t calm at all inside. “I’m setting out tonight. If your plan is to legitimize Jin Yin’s name, then I need to ensure my only sister’s safety.”
“Mo Zi, His Majesty just conferred upon you the title of Grand Justice. Without an imperial decree, court officials cannot leave the capital at will. You—trust me. Doulü is like my sister. I may not be able to protect Jin Yin, but I will definitely preserve her life. Better than anyone, I understand the feeling of having no more relatives in the world.” Yuan Cheng extended his hand. “Now, wait patiently. The most appropriate time to go to Daqiu will come very soon.”
She discovered she trusted him, possibly even more than she trusted herself. She had fallen for him, for the man before her eyes. However, what was to be done? She had originally wanted to find someone more ordinary, more simple, to spend leisurely days like fishermen singing at dusk. But this person, from birth until now, had never been ordinary or simple. There he was, smiling while deploying troops and assigning generals—before long, perhaps the current situation would change because of it. Jin Yin had moved, Li Yan had moved, and she hadn’t seen Yi Dan in a long while. Those going to Daqiu, those going to Nande, each harboring their own purposes—none were simple, all interlocking. Even her official position had been maneuvered into being by him.
He said they couldn’t keep a low profile anymore.
But she discovered her feelings for him had deepened. Did that mean she would repeat past mistakes? Her feelings could no longer be pulled back—she could only choose between moving forward and marking time in place.
Silently following behind him, she was cautious—