Jiang Xingyan grabbed the person’s throat, finding it wasn’t Xiao Zhenhuai, but Su Mo.
“Did your master send you?”
Thump!
The moment she let go, Su Mo knelt heavily before her.
“All the offenses committed were this servant’s doing alone. The threatening words were only to arrange a meeting with the General. I only beg General Huo to save the Second Highness! Afterward, kill me or slice me, it’s entirely up to the General’s discretion.”
Su Mo knelt on the ground, pressing his head to the floor, appearing utterly devout.
“How did you know who I am?”
Su Mo hesitated for a moment, but to show sincerity, he told the truth anyway: “In Qingzhou, the night General Huo and Deputy General Xin rendezvoused with the Second Highness, I was under the window and heard him address you as ‘General’s Wife’…”
Jiang Xingyan was speechless.
Xin Zhui really deserved those hundred lashes. No injustice there.
She laughed coldly: “The Second Highness really is meticulous and pervasive, isn’t he?”
Su Mo’s face reddened. “The Second Highness… he’s always been cautious. To survive, he has no choice. Please, General— Madam, do not blame him.”
Jiang Xingyan pressed him down, avoiding a patrolling Imperial Guard unit.
Confirming they were safe, Su Mo briefly explained the situation: “The Second Highness’s body is on the verge of death. Since you, Madam, possess the method of soul-swapping, this servant only begs you to swap my body for the Second Highness’s. I beg you, Madam, consider that our殿下 is a pitiful soul, please help him survive!”
Su Mo’s voice choked up, the very picture of a loyal servant.
Jiang Xingyan only found it amusing.
“Soul-swapping method? Ha. I’d like to know that too!”
“What?!”
Su Mo looked up in shock, thinking she was angry at his presumptuousness and speaking thus deliberately. But instead, he only saw a teasing, helpless expression on Jiang Xingyan’s face.
“Use your brain, alright? If I could swap back, why would I personally go to that dangerous battlefield? I nearly got crushed to death by a wolf-tooth mace! I’m afraid your master has already sent you to investigate me. I’m a merchant. Would I do something that’s a hundred percent harmful to me with zero benefit?”
Su Mo was utterly dumbfounded.
What she said made so much sense, he couldn’t refute it.
A glint of cold light flashed not far ahead. Another squad of Imperial Guards turned their way, and Su Mo was still standing there dumbstruck.
Jiang Xingyan grabbed him and pulled him down into a crouch.
“If you want to die, don’t drag me into it. You can’t even find a proper place to discuss things seriously. Is this your attitude when begging for help?”
“The Second Highness can’t be left alone for long. I… I can’t stay out of the palace too long. I’m sorry to put you, Madam, through this.”
Su Mo’s face was full of shame, but he still didn’t want to give up hope. “But, aside from soul-swapping, is there really no other way?”
Jiang Xingyan shrugged. “Actually, if you think about it, soul-swapping isn’t feasible either.”
Su Mo was in despair. Madam is so heartless!
“Your thinking was wrong from the start. You haven’t even figured out the conditions for soul-swapping. You saw the scene when I was injured in Qingzhou. The soul and the body sustain damage simultaneously. Even if the Heavens gave the Second Highness a chance, when his body perishes, his soul will inevitably be annihilated along with it. This isn’t a way to avoid disaster.”
Su Mo’s face grew increasingly hopeless. “…But the殿下, he endured for so long, finally saw some light. He thought he could live out his life peacefully. Who could be so cruel! The殿下 just wants to live!”
Su Mo’s heart ached more with each word. With a leap of his lightness skill, he shot straight out.
Jiang Xingyan: ?
You’re just leaving me here like that?
How rude!
Watching his helpless, grieving, and indignant back, Jiang Xingyan sighed.
If Imperial Physician Sun said it was beyond cure, she couldn’t help either.
She could only pray that in his next life, he’d be born into a good family and not into an imperial household again.
——-
Jiang Xingyan landed steadily in the separate courtyard of the General’s Mansion.
Turning around, she was startled by two figures standing in the corridor.
Looking closely, it was Yun Chunfeng and Huo Ci.
Both wore stubborn expressions on their faces, just staring at Jiang Xingyan without speaking.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Xingyan sensed something was up.
Yun Chunfeng spoke timidly: “Why did you take so long, Young Miss? Did the Second Highness bother you?”
Jiang Xingyan chuckled.
Her vinegar jar had tipped over again.
“I’ll explain in detail to Brother Yun later.”
“Alright, Brother Yun will wait for you, Young Miss.”
Yun Chunfeng lowered his eyes bashfully, shot a provocative glance at Huo Ci, then turned and went back to the side room to await Jiang Xingyan entering his dream.
Huo Ci didn’t move, looking at Jiang Xingyan with hopeful eyes.
He still didn’t know anything about what happened tonight.
Jiang Xingyan initially didn’t want to bother with him.
If not for Brother Yun’s alertness, buying her half a year’s time, she would have been forced to be tied to this man again after finally getting her divorce. The day they swapped souls back would be even further off.
She walked a few steps towards the main house, then suddenly remembered: before leaving the palace, passing by Changle Palace where Shangguan Luoyue was staying, she heard a voice inside say:
“…Ah, you mean, Princess, use the hand of the Western Zhou Empress to kill her?”
“Shh, quiet!”
After that, their voices became nearly inaudible. Hearing this fragment, Jiang Xingyan had been thinking about it all the way back, afraid that Shangguan Luoyue was about to make a move against her.
At this critical juncture, she needed to make him be careful.
She turned around and briefly told Huo Ci what had happened tonight.
“If something happens to you alone in the palace, you can ask the Second Highness and Su Mo for help. They know the inside story; you can cooperate with them temporarily. Remember, no matter what happens, don’t be reckless. Come home safely, and we’ll figure it out later.”
Huo Ci was deeply moved.
This was the first time A Yan had spoken to him this much, even showing concern, telling him to come home safely.
“A Yan—”
Bang!
Jiang Xingyan calmly stepped into the main house and naturally closed the door, shutting Huo Ci and his nonsense outside.
She was in a hurry to see Brother Yun; she didn’t have time for his nonsense!
Unexpectedly, Huo Ci persisted. He threw himself against the door, knocking softly, pleading bitterly:
“A Yan, you… you mustn’t see him in your dreams…”
Creak!
The door opened.
Jiang Xingyan’s face darkened, her tone extremely displeased: “How do you know that?”