"Help this young master to Wanxiao Pavilion to rest. Treat him well and do not neglect him." As they spoke, four men in black entered and walked straight toward Jiang Chen and me.
Isn't this putting us under house arrest? I gripped Jiang Chen's fingers, my body trembling slightly with anger.
Jiang Chen squeezed my hand tightly and said, "It's alright, I won't die anytime soon. It will take three more days before we can see each other again. Old Palace Master Murong is really kind-hearted, he even gave us time to say goodbye."
As he spoke, he gave Protector Zhou and Madam Qing an indifferent smile. Looking at his slightly unsteady smile amidst his pain, I felt a sudden pang of pain in my heart.
Protector Zhou escorted us to a small pavilion behind the palace and locked the door. Several burly men in black guarded the door and windows.
Jiang Chen was covered in a cold sweat, his handsome face ashen with pain. I watched helplessly, overwhelmed by a mix of pain, disappointment, regret, and worry. A chill ran through me. Was this the gift my mother had given me? Where was she now? Although I was unharmed, I felt Jiang Chen's pain as well, and tears welled up in my eyes.
Jiang Chen forced a smile and reached out to wipe away my tears. His fingertips were slightly cold as they touched my cheek. I gently pushed his fingers away, wiped away my tears haphazardly, and without hesitation opened the small bundle I was carrying and took out the storybooks from my clothes.
"Xiao Mo, what are you doing?"
"This is probably what she wants!"
Jiang Chen hurriedly said, "What does she need these for? Quickly put them away!"
Just as I was about to tell him that one of these books was actually the Chongshan Sword Manual that I had disguised, Jiang Chen suddenly whispered, "Xiao Mo, I have something to tell you."
I put down the Chongshan Sword Manual and walked closer to him. He pulled me into his arms, leaned close to my ear, and whispered, "Xiao Mo, she is not Murong Qiao."
I was suddenly startled!
“She’s almost as tall as me. If you were her daughter, you would definitely be very tall too. I felt something was off the first time I saw her.”
I suddenly realized that daughters are usually slightly taller than their mothers, but she was much taller than me.
"The second point of suspicion is that although she impersonated Murong Qiao, she didn't know anything about your background. When you mentioned Jin Suo and your background, there was no change in her eyes at all, which is really contrary to common sense."
That's true. If she had no feelings for me at all, why would she send me a birthday gift every year?
“Just now, when that fake Palace Master Murong mentioned Murong Chou, he didn’t call him father, but old Palace Master. In my opinion, the current master of this island should be that Protector Zhou. I noticed that they were at the table, and Protector Zhou was sitting in the main seat.”
A thought struck me: "You mean, my mother isn't here at all, and Protector Zhou found a woman to impersonate her?"
“I guess he’s the only one in Jinbo Palace who knows your identity, so he doesn’t dare to do anything to you. He prepared these two dishes, knowing you wouldn’t dare to eat them, so even if you drink the wine, you won’t be poisoned. He’s just using me to blackmail you into handing over the items.”
Why would he do this?
"In my opinion, he is not sure whether Palace Master Murong gave you the Chongshan Sword Technique, so he did not ask for it directly. As long as you pretend that you do not know anything, he will not dare to do anything to you."
I said anxiously, "How can that be? What will you do?"
Jiang Chen forced a smile: "Let's try to hold on for three days. If we really can't take it anymore, then we'll talk about it."
"No, if you do this, it will make me feel terrible."
In my eyes, he has always been dashing and debonair. I have never seen him with such a "weak" side. I don't want to see him like this, I never will.
His smile deepened: "Do you feel sorry for me?"
"You, you still have the mood to be sarcastic."
His face was pale, but he smiled very happily: "I'm so happy! I finally found out that you care about me too. It's really not easy. It seems that I can die without regrets, hehe."
I retorted angrily, "Jiang Chen, if you dare say another word about death, I'll make you wish you were dead first."
He grinned even more broadly, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "I just want to be ecstatic, to the point of ecstasy, hehe."
I couldn't be angry with him; his pointless words and joking tone made me feel even more pained, and I couldn't bear it for even a moment longer.
"I'll give it to him right now. How can I stand by and watch you like this?"
His eyes flickered, and he smiled faintly, his thin lips slightly pursed: "Look, you feel sorry for me, but you're still being stubborn."
My mind was in such turmoil that I didn't even know if it was heartache or not. I just felt that if anything happened to him, I would never be happy again in this life.
Jiang Chen said in a low voice, "Let's stall for time and decide based on the situation. That Protector Zhou is not a good person. If the item falls into his hands, it will definitely be a disaster in the future."
Of course I know that, but Jiang Chen's current situation is making me extremely anxious.
"Jiang Chen, it's my fault, I shouldn't have come here."
"Don't say that. I came here willingly. Now that you know your background and are about to marry me, it's only natural for you to come and pay your respects to my mother. Besides, I know you came to Jinbo Palace to retrieve the Chongshan Sword Manual for the Jiang family. This shows that you are on my side and on the side of the Jiang family, and I know that. Sometimes, you have to see it for yourself before you can give up. I don't think you made a mistake by coming."
I said with a sigh, "But it seems we were really oversimplifying things."
"Xiao Mo, whatever you do, as long as you're happy, I'll be there for you."
A thought struck me, and I couldn't help but whisper, "Jiang Chen, I feel like I owe you so much."
He suppressed his smile, his eyes turning serious: "Then you can keep owing me money. The more you owe me, the more you'll be unable to escape."
I couldn't speak, my eyes were throbbing with a soreness, and a tear slid down my cheek and landed on the back of his hand. Why did I suddenly become so sentimental?
Suddenly, Protector Zhou's voice came from outside the door: "Miss Yun, have you thought it through?"
Jiang Chen gripped my fingers tightly and shook his head. I struggled internally, like a tug-of-war. Jiang Chen shook his head again, his eyes signaling that I couldn't agree.
Seeing that I did not answer, Protector Zhou sneered twice outside the door and turned away.
By the afternoon, Jiang Chen was in so much pain that he couldn't sit up. I helped him lie down on the bed, and the pillowcase was quickly soaked with sweat. I couldn't bear it any longer. Ignoring Jiang Chen's attempts to stop me, I rushed to the door and shouted, "I want to see Protector Zhou!"
Jiang Chen said weakly, "Xiao Mo, don't give it to him."
I bit my lip and turned back to ask, "Which is more important, people or things?"