Сhарtеr 13: Stigmа
It wаsn’t until Jiаng Chuji had аlrеаdу bеen led forwаrd bу someоne that Мо Jiu finаllу rеаctеd.
Не trulу had donе nothing and said nothing just nоw.
Whаt the уоung lаdу sаid was аlsо fаct. It was indееd his supеrior who ordеred him tо accоmpаny hеr hеre.
But judging bу the terrified ехрrеssions of thе guаrd аnd thе woman, thе meаning they undеrstood wаs cleаrly comрlеtеly diffеrеnt from the truth!
It was аgreеd thаt he was оnly herе to еsсоrt somеone аnd then takе thеm bаck. How did it become that whаtеver the young lаdу wanted to dо wаs the Imperial Guard Division’s instruction?
Mo Jiu took a deep breath.
Now, looking again at the young lady’s calm and composed back—
This was no timid, weak, foolish, and dull-witted legitimate daughter of the Chancellor’s Manor. She was clearly a fox pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, and a fox borrowing the tiger’s might at that.
False rumors truly harmed people deeply.
Mo Jiu resignedly followed.
“It’s… it’s right here.”
The guard led Jiang Chuji to the most remote room in the residence, swallowing nervously. “Let me make this clear first: the orders we received from above were just to deliver three meals a day, ensuring she doesn’t starve to death. We have no idea what condition our mistress is in now…”
“Understood. Open the door.”
Seeing the large iron lock hanging on the dilapidated wooden door, already covered in rust and stains, Jiang Chuji’s eyes darkened.
The guard immediately stepped forward to unlock it. Fortunately, the lock hadn’t rusted shut completely. After a series of clanking sounds, the lock finally opened.
The guard also breathed a sigh of relief, quickly wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Jiang Chuji said, “You may all leave now. Guard Mo, please wait outside for me as well.”
With a creak, she slowly pushed the door open.
The room was dark, so dark that not a single ray of light could be seen.
Endless darkness filled the air with a suffocating sense of oppression. The air was thick with the musty smell of years without sunlight and a heavy, nauseating stench.
Jiang Chuji lit a candle, holding it in her hand to dispel the darkness.
“Who is it…” At that moment, a faint voice came from the inner room.
Jiang Chuji’s breath hitched.
Since she had come to this world and become Jiang Chuji, she would shoulder the responsibilities this body carried.
Chen Shi, falsely accused of adultery, had been locked in this sunless room, enduring torment for a full ten years.
Now that she was here, she would not only change her own fate but also rescue her mother from this hell.
Jiang Chuji didn’t speak, walking toward the direction of the voice.
She thought she could remain calm.
However, when the candlelight revealed the woman lying on the bed, her hair dry and brittle, her body almost skeletal, her hand trembled violently.
Her nose tingled with sourness, and her throat felt dry and hoarse.
“…Mother, it’s me.”
—Mother?
The visitor was calling her mother?
It took Chen Shi a long moment to react, struggling to prop herself up in disbelief.
Through her blurred vision, she saw the figure of the young girl, and her entire body trembled violently, her lips quivering. “You… you are…”
“I am Chuer,” Jiang Chuji wiped the tears from her face, stepping forward to hold the hands so thin that the bones almost protruded completely. She whispered softly, “I’m sorry, Mother. I came too late.”
Chen Shi thought she was dreaming or experiencing a final surge of clarity before death. Otherwise, how could she suddenly see her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen for ten years and had worried about day and night, on such an ordinary night?
Yet the warmth and touch transmitted through her hands felt so real.Chen Shi was already in tears, unable to utter a single word.
“Mother, I know you have many things you want to say and many questions to ask me right now. But time is pressing. Come with me first, and we can talk in the carriage.”
Jiang Chuji took a deep breath and carefully helped her up from the bed.
When Jiang Chuji supported Chen Shi out of the room, everyone waiting outside, including Mo Jiu, was visibly shaken.
If not for knowing the truth, who would dare believe that this gaunt, haggard woman before them was the wife of the current Chancellor and the daughter of Marquis Zhongyuan?
Jiang Chuji’s face showed no expression at all. After steadying Chen Shi, she approached the guard and the woman. The two of them couldn’t help but tremble.
“You two, no matter what you’ve done before, I won’t pursue it further.”
Jiang Chuji’s voice was almost icy, devoid of any emotion. “I’m taking her away.”
“I know the Chancellor’s Manor won’t send anyone over, only asking you to send monthly reports. Here is a fifty-tael silver note, equivalent to two years of wages for serving the Chancellor’s Manor.”
Jiang Chuji took a silver note from her pocket, offering a cold choice.
“Either you take this silver note and continue reporting to the Chancellor’s Manor as before, every month.”
“Or you spread this matter, and I promise, I will make sure you die without a place to be buried.”
Die without a place to be buried.
Although the young girl before them appeared to be only of marriageable age, the two of them heard an unmistakable, undisguised killing intent in her tone.
With trembling hands, they took the silver note. “Rest assured, young lady, we will do exactly as you say…”
…
Sitting in the carriage back to the city, Jiang Chuji once again adjusted the soft cushions, wanting her mother to be more comfortable during the bumpy journey.
“Chuer, what on earth is going on?”
Chen Shi was in tears, her voice strained. “It wasn’t your father who sent you to find me. He… he still refuses to believe me…”
Jiang Chuji clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
“Mother, you’ve been imprisoned and tormented in that place for ten years, yet you still hold onto illusions about that man?”
“If he were willing to believe you, he wouldn’t have sent you to that place in the first place. Nor would he have ignored you for ten years without a single visit.”
Jiang Chuji’s voice was almost cruel.
In ancient times, the husband was the absolute authority. Jiang Chuji knew it would be difficult to change someone’s deeply ingrained beliefs in a short time.
So she knelt before Chen Shi, looking into her eyes.
“Mother, I took the initiative to bring you back without permission. It’s not yet time for you to return to the Chancellor’s Manor. After we return to the capital, I will arrange a temporary residence for you first.”
“From now on, you must remember that nothing is more important than taking care of yourself, recovering your health and energy as quickly as possible.”
“You must also believe that from now on, as long as I am here, no one can ever humiliate you, frame you, or push you into despair again.”
“I will definitely clear your name. Everything that was taken from you in the past, I will reclaim it for you, one by one. Do you understand?”