Mo Lan walked fast, like she was being pursued.
Arriving at her mother’s chamber, she barged in, not caring about the maids who had informed her about their Madame not wanting any disturbance.
"Mother! Mother!" She voiced out, walking further into the huge room only to find her mother laying on the huge bed at the far end.
Sighing, Madame Mo just placed her hands on her temple, "You lack so much manners, Mo Lan. When will you learn?"
"Mother, this isn’t the time for chitchat. You have to put on your clothes and come with me. We have to find a way to convince the emperor not to allow Mo Shen to fight off the rebels." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novｅlfire.net
Madame Mo looked at her, not so bothered, "And why not?"
Raising a brow, Mo Lan was confused, "What do you mean why not?" She walked close to her mother. "Are you really listening to me? I just said Mo Shen wants to go fight off the rebels. You and I both know that if he does and succeeds, then he could finally challenge us. Placing him as the general was all just a cover-up so the general’s title won’t leave our family."
She continued, "The one who we want to truly become the general is Mo Zan. That’s why we sent him to fight at the northern border, hoping he wins and earns the emperor’s favour. But if Mo Ying goes and fights the rebels instead, then he would receive the emperor’s favour instead."
Madame Mo blinked slowly, as if waking from a long nap. She pushed the silk blanket back, sat up, and yawned once. "Calm down, Mo Lan... you speak too much for your own good."
Mo Lan planted her hands on her hips, voice sharp. "Maybe because it might end if we do nothing! Mo Shen wants to go fight the rebels. If he wins, he’ll win the emperor’s favour. Then what? He’ll have power of his own. He won’t listen to us anymore."
Madame Mo tugged a corner of the blanket across her knees, unbothered. "So let him go."
"Let him go?" Mo Lan echoed, stunned. "Mother, are you mad? Let him go? He’ll come back as a hero! I may hate everything about him, but even I can’t deny the fact that he’s very skilled. He would surely win, and then what? He’ll take everything we worked for."
Madame Mo’s eyes stayed half-closed. "And if he doesn’t come back?" she said softly, like it was the simplest thing. "Favour is won by the living, Mo Lan. A dead man holds no favour at court."
Mo Lan’s face twisted. "You can’t mean—"
Madame Mo let out a sharp laugh, "It has been so long, I’m already sick of him." She stood up from the bed as she walked towards her daughter, walking around her as she said, "After I married into the household, all I ever wanted was power. His mother was so easy to deal with. I thought that I could finally have all I ever wished for, if not for that bastard of a man."
She then placed her hands on her belly.
"After his wife had died, he poisoned me and made me barren. He said he loved me, but that wasn’t enough to keep him from punishing me for what I did to his wife. He destroyed my womb so I wouldn’t have any other children or possibly an heir to compete with his son."
Turning around, she then went back to her bed and took her seat.
"Now where is he? Dead! I killed his wife, I killed him, and soon I will make sure their beloved Mo Ying joins them in hell. Hahahahahaha."
Five days after the news of Mo Ying’s victory had spread all over the empire, it eventually arrived at Wu Village.
It was a very bright Saturday morning, and Lin Xu woke up quite early. On weekends, she gave herself breaks so she could spend enough time with her kids.
She and one of her maids had arrived at Wu Village. It was packed, and everywhere was bustling.
She wanted to start a new recipe, so she needed to pick the ingredients herself and check out the market price.
As she and her maid separated to get the things quickly, Susu immediately appeared.
[Host! You said you wanted to buy ingredients yourself, but I know the truth! You’re just using that as an excuse to go to the temple and pray for Mo Ying!]
Lin Xu stopped in her tracks, one brow twitching. "Susu, must you announce everything out loud the moment you appear?"
[Oh, come on! Don’t pretend I’m wrong. You’ve been sighing since morning, staring at the news board like a lovesick widow.]
"I wasn’t staring," Lin Xu muttered, picking up a basket of fresh vegetables and pretending to be interested in the tomatoes. "And I’m not a widow."
[You’re acting like one.]
"Susu." Her tone was calm but threatening.
[Fine, fine! I’ll stop teasing.]
Just then, she branched towards a stall selling fresh veggies with some onions, and while she was checking them out, she overheard four old women gossiping behind her.
"Ah! Did you guys hear?"
"Hear what?" the other women asked, leaning closer with interest.
"I heard General Mo has finally returned from his two-year war and with victory!"
Lin Xu froze, the basket in her hand hanging midair.
Susu, who had been floating near her shoulder, blinked twice before saying:
[Wait, did she just say Mo Ying? He’s... back?]
Lin Xu didn’t answer. Her grip on the basket tightened, knuckles white.
[Host, I... I thought the war would take longer,] Susu whispered, her tone uncertain for once. [He really won?]
The women behind them kept talking, full of excitement.
"They said the emperor himself is preparing a ceremony for him! I’m sure he’s happy to be back. He can finally go to his wife and meet his baby. It’s so sad he left before his wife even gave birth."
"Aiyah, poor General Mo, but he is truly blessed by the heavens."
"And so young too! The pride of the empire!"
Lin Xu took a slow breath and set the basket down, pretending to check the vegetables again even though she wasn’t seeing any of them clearly.
Susu hovered quietly beside her, unsure what to say.
The stall owner handed her a small paper bag of onions. Lin Xu nodded, paid, and continued walking down the crowded path. She didn’t look back, even as her heart started to pound faster with every step.
Susu followed close behind, but she didn’t ask her anything.
[Looks like Host is about to have another emotional crisis!]