Chapter 23: Coming to Terms

Chu Ling’s hand was clamped beneath Jiang Wu’s jaw, his fingertips scraping against the edge of her lips.

Jiang Wu was unsure whether he was waiting for her response. Yet after deciding that she absolutely had to leave him, she found the thought absurd.

As though she were the one making the choice. He was going to marry Chu Yan—wasn’t he simply telling her that, from now on, Chu Yan’s child would be his first priority?

“Open,” the man said. At the same time, the finger beside her lips pressed a little harder.

Jiang Wu instinctively loosened her tightly clenched lips. When she shifted her gaze, she met the man’s darkening eyes, and her body stiffened. In the next moment, as expected, Chu Ling’s finger moved onto her lips.

The fingertip pressed lightly against them, forcing her tightly pursed lips apart. Jiang Wu felt the pad of his finger pressing against her lower lip, rubbing it neither lightly nor harshly. Every now and then, his fingertip brushed her teeth, making her so uncomfortable that she wanted to pull away, but the arm around her waist held her fast.

In her panic, she had no choice but to open her mouth to avoid Chu Ling’s finger, only for that finger to slip in even deeper.

Chu Ling stared at the lips he had rubbed until they were flushed red, his gaze growing darker by the second.

With her teeth unable to close again, the woman’s breathing quickened. She must have been anxious, for her cheeks were flushed. Now and then, when her tongue moved unintentionally, it brushed against the man’s fingertip. The resulting tingling spread from there and sent shivers through every part of his body.

Tears gathered in Jiang Wu’s eyes. She hated this. It was disgusting. She hurriedly seized the man’s hand to stop him from moving, her eyes full of pleading.

The temperature around them seemed to rise abruptly. Chu Ling’s Adam’s apple bobbed faintly, his breath catching as he withdrew his finger. The saliva coating it glimmered faintly in the light.

Before Jiang Wu could relax and draw a deep breath, the world before her darkened. Chu Ling bent down and captured her lips. His nimble tongue replaced the finger from before, laying siege to that small space and leaving no corner untouched.

Jiang Wu blinked desperately. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes with the movement, clearing her vision a little. She could see the man’s face at point-blank range, his eyes tightly shut. For one fleeting moment, he seemed utterly immersed and intoxicated.

But that had to be an illusion. Jiang Wu’s mind soon grew hazy from lack of air. Only when the man finally paused to breathe did she seize that instant of clarity and hurriedly say, “I’m hungry.”

Chu Ling’s movements stopped again, and the redness at the corners of his eyes deepened.

Only then did Jiang Wu realize how suggestive her hoarse voice had sounded. Afraid that Chu Ling would misunderstand, she quickly explained, “I really am hungry. I want to eat. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became. As she talked, she pushed him away.

Chu Ling caught her hand and, after calming himself slightly, ordered the servants outside, “Bring the meal.”

Hearing this, Jiang Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When Chu Ling rose, she followed suit and straightened her clothes.

Fortunately, Chu Ling did not stay the night. It seemed he had quickly managed to suppress his desire. While Jiang Wu sat on tenterhooks, he watched her finish her meal and then left.

Even so, Jiang Wu remained awake all night.

***

Jiang Wu could not control herself. She had suffered from insomnia for several nights.

When she was nearly driven mad, she could only seek solace with Mo Yangzhou.

Even with Yangzhou, these matters were too embarrassing to mention, so she never spoke of them. Simply breathing in the reassuring scent of the man was enough to calm her and let her rest properly.

They had arranged to meet on a pleasure boat on the lake outside the capital.

The cool breeze over the water dispelled much of Jiang Wu’s sorrow.

She lay in a rocking chair beside the bed while Mo Yangzhou massaged the acupoints on her head from behind.

Because they were inside the boat, Jiang Wu could not see the scenery on the river from where she lay. Through the window, she could only watch the blue sky outside and the occasional bird flying past.

She did not know which of those things had helped, but her mood had indeed improved considerably. Fatigue began to creep over her belatedly, and in that state of relaxation, she grew drowsy.

Jiang Wu’s sleep was far from peaceful. Bizarre dreams clung to her without end. She dreamed that Aye and Nianyin had their backs to her and were walking farther and farther away.

The Jiang Wu in the dream called out to them desperately, and at last, the two of them turned around.

Her daughter asked her coldly, “Didn’t Mother intend to abandon us?”

It wasn’t true. Jiang Wu was powerless to argue. She could only cry. It had always been this way: apart from crying, she could do nothing.

***

The man massaging her acupoints sensed her unease. Looking at the hand she had placed on the armrest, Mo Yangzhou hesitated for a moment before carefully placing his own hand over it.

His broad palm easily covered her pale, delicate hand.

“It’s all right now.” His low, gentle voice soothed the restless woman. “Everything is all right.”

It seemed to work. Jiang Wu’s expression had already relaxed, though her brow remained faintly furrowed. Loose strands of hair stirred by the breeze brushed against her cheeks from time to time.

Even asleep, the little mouth on that face so favored by the years remained faintly pursed, as though bearing some great grievance. She looked so pitiful that anyone would feel tenderness toward her.

Why did she even look like such a poor little thing in her dreams?

Struggle flickered through Mo Yangzhou’s eyes. He watched her silently for a long while, as if bewitched. In his daze, he felt that perhaps those loose strands of hair had not been blown across the woman’s face at all, but into his heart.

The hand he had originally intended to place upon her furrowed brow hovered for a moment before withdrawing. The man slowly bent down, intending to replace his earlier touch with his lips.

When he was only two fingers’ breadth from her smooth skin, a cool voice rang out.

“If you truly touch her, no one will be able to save you.”

Mo Yangzhou froze.

He lowered his eyes once more and carefully studied the face of the sleeping woman. He could even feel the faintly cool breath brushing against his skin.

After a long while, he finally straightened and looked toward the woman standing by the door. In a lowered voice, he called, “Princess Qingyang.”

The woman standing there was indeed Qingyang.

After letting her gaze linger on the two people in the room for a moment, she gestured for Mo Yangzhou to come outside.

Mo Yangzhou nodded. He first went to the incense burner and confirmed that plenty of incense remained before leaving.

The two of them stood beside the bed, letting the cold wind blow over them.

“What kind of incense did you use for her?” Qingyang’s tone was displeased.

Mo Yangzhou smiled, his voice as mild as ever. “Nothing more than a calming incense.”

Qingyang clearly did not believe him. What kind of calming incense was this effective? It only worked when he was there. Yet after searching the room with her eyes, she could find no other flaw. She could only withdraw her gaze resentfully and issue a warning in the end.

“Do not do anything unnecessary. Your head is in her hands now. If anything happens to her, neither of us will get away.”

Mo Yangzhou did not respond. Instead, he suddenly asked, “Without her, do you think we could defeat Chu Ling?”

The answer was undeniable.

The emperor was young, the empress was weak, and she obeyed everything her elder brother said. From top to bottom, the entire court was under Chu Ling’s control.

Not to mention that, over the past few years, Chu Ling had ruthlessly eliminated his political opponents and extended his reach into every corner of Great Qi.

A trace of irritation flickered between Qingyang’s brows, but she still repeated firmly, “Do not drag her into this.”

This time, Mo Yangzhou said nothing more.

***

Though nightmares had tormented her, it was still the longest stretch of sleep Jiang Wu had managed in many days.

By the time she woke, she had forgotten what all her dreams had been about. Her head remained somewhat dizzy and heavy, yet she felt clearer than she ever had before.

She thought the reason she was so troubled was that she had placed too much importance on her own role.

In truth, even without her, the two children had always been doing perfectly well.

Chu Yan taking possession of the Prime Minister’s residence was something Jiang Wu had anticipated long ago. Now there was simply one more bastard child.

It was nothing serious. He was merely some stinking boy of unknown origin. Aye and Nianyin, on the other hand, were legitimate.

She had to have faith in her children. How could they possibly be outdone by some bastard?

***

Besides, even if she were willing to sacrifice herself and continue lingering in the Prime Minister’s residence, would she not still have to make way for Chu Yan? Was that really something she could decide?

Jiang Wu persuaded herself in this manner and retreated into her shell with a clear conscience.

As for the divorce, it still had to happen as soon as possible. Jiang Wu was afraid that the longer things dragged on, the more complications would arise.

***

During a quiet moment, Jiang Wu deliberately went to see Chu Jisheng again.

When she arrived, the boy was chopping wood. His movements were exceptionally practiced. With every swing of the axe, no matter how thick the log, it split cleanly in two, sending splinters flying in every direction. Chu Jisheng did not even blink.

Listening to the axe strike again and again, Jiang Wu inexplicably felt nervous and took two steps back.

“Why are you making a guest do this?”

He was a guest, after all.

The servant beside her reminded her awkwardly, “Madam, this was your order.”

Jiang Wu suddenly remembered. That day, she had been furious and determined to make things difficult for the bastard, so she had ordered him to perform this labor.

“Oh… was it?” She was clearly in the wrong, and she turned to study the boy.

This time, she did her best to observe him without prejudice or anger.

He was quite handsome. Apart from his tall, straight nose, which bore some resemblance to Chu Yan’s, she could see little else that he shared with either Chu Yan or Chu Ling.

That was for the best. If a younger version of Chu Ling had appeared before her every day, Jiang Wu could not guarantee that she would be able to stand it.

Besides his good looks, Chu Jisheng possessed a maturity that did not quite match his age. In that regard, he differed greatly from Aye and Nianyin. But it was understandable. One was the pampered son of the Prime Minister’s household, naturally confident and at ease, while the other was a child who had been ostracized in a foreign land and did not even know who his father was. Naturally, he had become cautious, aloof, and bristling with thorns.

Jiang Wu clicked her tongue inwardly. Chu Yan truly had no decency, giving birth to a child under such circumstances.

Perhaps a trace of sympathy had arisen in her heart, for Jiang Wu called for someone to tell the boy to stop.

Before long, Chu Jisheng stood before her and bowed. “Madam.”

Jiang Wu had finished examining him from head to toe. She spoke indifferently. “From now on, leave these tasks to the servants.”

“Compared with what I used to do, these tasks are hardly worth mentioning.”

Was his life really so miserable?

Jiang Wu inexplicably felt a little guiltier. “You are a guest of this household, after all. You do not need to do such things anymore.”

Perhaps he would become its master in the future.

She had adopted the lofty bearing of an elder, yet she caught the corners of Chu Jisheng’s mouth lifting and then lowering, as though he had seen through her disguise.

Embarrassed, Jiang Wu asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“I merely feel that Mother was not wrong. Madam is exactly as she described.”

Jiang Wu’s curiosity rose. “What did she say about me?”

The boy pondered for a moment. He did not seem to be recalling his mother’s exact words so much as searching for a more suitable adjective of his own.

“Just… not very clever.”

What an ill-mannered little bastard!

Jiang Wu was furious. Chu Yan truly had never said a single good thing about her!