Hidden Shadow

In recent days, Consort Yu had moved to Guye Palace, keeping Gao Dazhuang busy to the point of barely touching the ground.

The emperor also visited frequently. After consuming his golden elixirs, he would have Consort Yu dress as a celestial maiden, engaging in passionate encounters with her as if he had already ascended to immortality.

An Jiu had witnessed the Crown Prince's revelry and, unfortunately, also caught sight of his father's debauchery. Everything she saw was so decadent and depraved that she gradually developed a deep aversion to the palace intrigues. Suddenly, she could understand why Lou Mingyue had chosen to join Wei Yue.

Lou Mingyue had joined the Crane Control Army with the intention of leveraging its influence and resources to strengthen herself. But serving as a Dragon Martial Guard within the palace likely offered no opportunity for revenge or real combat experience. An assassin's skills only sharpen through constant missions—too much idle time, and even the sharpest blade grows dull.

Inside the bedchamber of Guye Palace, the emperor and consort were lost in their passionate embrace, while a group of maids and eunuchs stood outside the curtains, listening to the scandalous sounds.

The emperor was guarded by six Shadow Guards. Though they would have difficulty detecting An Jiu, any movement from Gao Dazhuang could easily be misinterpreted. After watching the "performance" for a while, An Jiu decided to return to her quarters.

Before even entering, she sensed Mei Yanran's presence.

Pushing the door open, she called out, "Mother."

Mei Yanran acknowledged her but remained seated on the round-backed chair, watching as An Jiu poured water. In a low voice, she said, "You are not Jiu'er."

An Jiu froze mid-motion and turned to look at her.

This was too sudden!

She had only interacted with Mei Yanran once before being exposed, and up until now, Mei Yanran had shown no signs of suspicion.

Since the truth was out, An Jiu saw no point in hiding it. Calmly, she replied, "She is still alive. I borrowed her body to come find you on her behalf—consider it repayment of a debt."

In the dim light, Mei Yanran's clenched hands trembled slightly. Whether from shock, fury, or worry, it was hard to tell.

Silence stretched between them.

An Jiu asked, "How did you know I wasn't Mei Jiu?"

After all, the body was the same, and their interactions had been minimal. When An Jiu was with her, she was practically a statue—barely moving, barely speaking.

"What mother would mistake her own child?" Mei Yanran's voice was distant as she gazed at An Jiu’s shadowed figure. "People change, but habits don't shift so quickly. For instance, she would call me 'Mother,' and when pouring water, she always curled her little finger."

During their first meeting, Mei Yanran had been too emotionally overwhelmed to notice the details. But after spending a night with An Jiu, she realized their sleeping habits were completely different, prompting her to observe more closely. The bond between mother and child wasn’t just about blood—it was an instinct, a feeling.

"Is she... alright?" Mei Yanran hesitated, her voice fragile. After hearing An Jiu's words, half her soul had fled in terror, fearing Mei Jiu might be suffering unimaginable horrors.

"She's fine. She even got married," An Jiu said.

"Really?" Mei Yanran seemed to regain her spirit instantly, her eyes brightening. "Did she take over someone else's body? Who did she marry? How is she living?"

For a mother, nothing mattered more than her child's safety and happiness. Though the situation was difficult to accept, knowing Mei Jiu was well eased most of her fears."Mm. The person she's marrying is Hua Rongtian." Having reached this point in the conversation, An Jiu naturally took the opportunity to persuade her to leave. "If you stay here, she won't be able to live peacefully. It's better to come away with me. You can choose to follow her or come with me."

An Jiu felt somewhat disappointed. She had wanted to make up for everything she owed her own mother through Mei Yanran, but perhaps that was impossible now.

Mei Yanran looked at her for a long moment before speaking again. "Roll up your left sleeve."

An Jiu was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized that Mei Yanran still didn't quite believe her words—she probably wanted to check for identifying marks on this body. She removed her armguard and rolled her sleeve up to her shoulder.

Mei Yanran stood up and moved to her side, spotting a tiny red mole, no larger than a pinprick, on the back of her upper arm near the armpit.

Even if someone were impersonating her, they wouldn't go into such minute detail! Mei Yanran closed her eyes briefly, and when she looked at An Jiu again, her gaze was much more complicated.

This was her daughter, and yet it wasn't.

"Can you really leave?" Mei Yanran asked.

An Jiu brimmed with confidence and snorted. "Don't worry. I'm not Mei Jiu. The plan is very thorough."

This seemed like good news, but Mei Yanran wasn't particularly happy. It was as if her own daughter was being made to look incompetent, though this slight irritation wasn't enough to show on her face. Her expression and tone remained unchanged. "I've taken a lethal poison and need to receive the antidote at regular intervals."

An Jiu frowned. "Why haven't we been given any medicine?"

"No medicine?" Mei Yanran was surprised, but then it occurred to her that the Dragon Martial Guard might have different divisions. She was responsible for the Emperor's personal protection, so naturally, the precautions were stricter.

With that thought, she dismissed the matter and continued, "Your cousin Mo..."

She had instinctively treated An Jiu as Mei Jiu and paused slightly before going on. "If he knew of Sigui's whereabouts, he might be able to help me detoxify. But have you considered that if we leave, everyone from Mei Shi remaining in the Crane Control Army will suffer the consequences?"

"You still care about Mei Shi?" For An Jiu, this was truly not good news.

Mei Yanran was at a loss for words. She had forgotten again that the person before her had no feelings for Mei Shi and wasn't Mei Jiu.

"It's not about caring, but I can't let so many blood relatives die because of me—not for the family that raised me," Mei Yanran said.

This issue... An Jiu hadn't factored it in. The biggest problems she had originally considered were how to find Mei Yanran and then how to leave. As for something like family, it simply didn't exist in her conceptual framework.

"Let me think about it." An Jiu felt a headache coming on. Asking her to use her destructive-leaning intelligence for salvation was a bit too much!

In her view, annihilating a family single-handedly was a hundred times easier than saving one.

"What was your original plan?" Mei Yanran also very much wanted to go out and see Mei Jiu.

An Jiu pulled out a map from her pocket. "I've prepared seven routes. Leaving Bianjing safely isn't a problem."

Mei Yanran, "..."

So the so-called "thorough plan" just meant how to quickly pack up and leave? Stirring up the Emperor's hornet's nest would mean being hunted for life!

An Jiu thought about it. Since they were going to be hunted either way, why not... "Eliminate the source of trouble first?"

Mei Yanran's eyelid twitched, understanding that she meant to kill the Emperor.

"Then we'll have to replan," An Jiu muttered.

Seeing how serious she was, Mei Yanran quickly stopped her. "Absolutely not!""Keeping such an emperor would only bring disaster," An Jiu said, then realized that while this emperor's reign was harmful, without him the Great Song Dynasty might plunge even more easily into chaos.

A nation cannot be without its ruler for even a day, especially with powerful enemies at its borders.

Seeing that she seemed to understand, Mei Yanran sighed in relief. "Let's plan this carefully." (To be continued...)

PS: My mind hasn't been quite right these past few days—I've messed up the chapter numbers several times. Sigh! I was never good with numbers to begin with, so counting past two hundred is really pushing it for me.