Chapter 67: Changes In The Morning
“Young Lady, stop thinking about it.”
Mo Zheng extinguished one lamp, making the room dimmer, and softly said to Yang Luo, who was sitting deep in thought at the desk.
“Go to sleep for a bit.”
Yang Luo came back to her senses and looked at her, unable to hold back a smile: “You can still sleep?”
Mo Zheng also smiled: “With Young Lady here, things naturally resolve smoothly, so of course I can sleep.”
Ever since Duke Ding’an went out to ask the Emperor for forgiveness, Duke Ding’an’s Wife had been persuading everyone to rest.
Liu Changqing, with his daughter and disciple, was settled in one courtyard, while Mo Zheng and Yang Luo were settled in another courtyard.
This courtyard was not the place where Yang Luo had lived in her previous life.
Duke Ding’an’s Wife also did not stay by her side at all times, but instead paced restlessly in the hall waiting for Duke Ding’an.
Of course, it was different from her previous life, Yang Luo thought as she looked at Mo Zheng.
“Don’t call me Young Lady.” She said softly, “Now you are Miss Yang.”
Mo Zheng nodded: “Alright, A Sheng.” At this point she paused, found paper and pen on the nearby table, and lowered her voice with interest, “But since she is a woman, changing ‘Sheng’ to ‘Sheng’ makes more sense, what do you think.”
Yang Luo laughed again; she was still considering such details…
“I’ll follow Young Lady’s lead.” She nodded with a smile, then sighed softly, “It’s not that things resolve smoothly because I’m here; it’s because you, Miss, handled it perfectly, making everything go smoothly.”
Although she already knew this guard stayed calm in the face of events, the sudden identity swap had her pretend to be herself, and due to the haste, she had barely explained anything, yet this guard handled it steadily and properly.
Although with the jade pendant, Duke Ding’an and his wife would not suspect, people still observe speech and manners; anything too unusual would raise doubts, and this time with the family recognition, there were many outsiders present—Liu Changqing, and Embroidered Uniform Guard Wei Jiao…
Especially Wei Jiao, whom she had dealt with before.
Thinking of this, Yang Luo pressed her chest and exhaled; even now recalling it, she still felt a bit panicked.
While A Sheng had remained completely calm and composed throughout, neither startled nor joyful, neither cold nor overly familiar.
In short, exactly the perfect reaction she had imagined!
Even she herself might not have been able to do it in person.
Mo Zheng tidied the bedding while listening to Yang Luo’s praise.
“It wasn’t really any special handling; I just stayed true to myself.” She said, turning to look at Yang Luo and speaking softly, “Because they don’t know us well, we don’t need to think about what reaction they expect; any reaction from us is right. So you should remember too: keep doing what you’re accustomed to, don’t deliberately act like a maidservant.”
Yang Luo nodded earnestly in agreement.
Mo Zheng smiled at her: “Then lie down and rest for a bit.”
The lamps in the room were extinguished.
Yang Luo, as the maidservant, slept on the small couch by the bed, while the “Young Lady” on the bed breathed evenly, seemingly truly asleep.
She could not sleep.
Only now did she seem to have time to think about what had happened.
Although she had long anticipated this day would come, it had arrived too quickly.
And it was also different from what she had anticipated.
After all, when she had anticipated it before, she did not know the guard was a woman.
So the current outcome was much better than anticipated.
Although she had entered Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, she was not in Yang Luo’s identity, equivalent to still hiding in the shadows.
It allowed her to more conveniently observe others’ reactions and avoid some dangers directly targeting the “Yang Luo” identity.
The thought flashed through, and Yang Luo’s hands in front of her clenched tightly.
She did not do it intentionally, letting A Sheng take the dangers for her…
But her clenched hands relaxed again, and she gave a self-mocking smile.
Why deceive herself? She was indeed using A Sheng.
From the very beginning.
“…Did you also divine that they would fabricate another identity for you?”
A gentle female voice came.
Yang Luo jumped in fright, still somewhat unaccustomed to A Sheng’s voice like this for the moment.
“Ah, that.” She came back to her senses and nodded in the darkness, “Yes, I divined it.”
At that time, after she and A Sheng had changed clothes inside, and Duke Ding’an and his wife had verified the jade pendant and were about to go out, Duke Ding’an’s Wife pulled A Sheng back and made a request.
The same request as in her previous life.
Asking her not to reveal that she was her mother’s daughter, but to pretend to be the daughter of a deceased aunt in the family.
“Your mother met someone unworthy back then and left home for so many years; everything has become old matters. Now that you have returned, to avoid others dredging up those old matters again and mocking your mother and our family, we ask you to pretend to be the daughter of that aunt from your maternal grandfather’s family.”
“We will say that publicly, enter you into the family registry, and afterward you will be our family’s daughter, also allowing your mother to return home in a way, without those past events being mentioned.”
“Luo’er, what do you say?”
In that life, she had nodded without hesitation and agreed; in fact, she did not care what the aunt said at all—as long as she was acknowledged, entered into the family registry, and had a home, that was good.
In this life, after A Sheng heard it and looked at her, she joyfully said “That’s wonderful, Young Lady.”
A Sheng then nodded in agreement.
It did not matter who she was publicly said to be the daughter of; those who did not know her indifference would not be fooled, and those who knew her would not be deceived.
“But I could not divine what comes next.” Yang Luo said softly, “Whether we will still be allowed to go to school.”
After all, in that life, Duke Ding’an’s Mansion had always kept her hidden away; she never went out, let alone to school for reading.
“No need to worry about that; what has already happened, they cannot change.” Mo Zheng said softly in the darkness: “To keep someone confined at home, they would need to explain to many more people, which is very troublesome, and besides, we are not so easily confined.”
Yes, she was not the Yang Luo from that life, and most crucially, she had A Sheng; it was impossible to keep her confined at home.
Yang Luo could not help but laugh.
“However, we definitely won’t be going tomorrow, so…” Mo Zheng continued, her voice lazy, “we can sleep in peacefully.”
Yang Luo laughed again; yes, exactly—now, those who should be most worried were not them.
Yang Luo stretched lazily on the small couch, relaxing her tense body, shifted to a comfortable position, and closed her eyes.
The night gradually faded, and the morning light gradually brightened.
The early winter mornings grew colder day by day; Princess Pingcheng walked along the road and could not help rubbing her cheeks.
“Princess, put on the hat.”
The accompanying eunuch hurriedly handed over a wind hat trimmed with white fox fur.
Princess Pingcheng refused: “No need.” She looked ahead, “We will arrive at Mother Empress’s palace soon.”
She quickened her steps and entered Kunning Palace lightly and cheerfully, but the Empress was not there.
“Your Ladyship went to the Imperial Study to see His Majesty.” The palace maids said.
So early? Princess Pingcheng was stunned, and besides, Mother Empress rarely went to Father Emperor’s palace—was something the matter?
“Should the Princess wait for the Empress?” The palace maids asked, “Or go to the Imperial Study?”
Princess Pingcheng looked at the sky.
“No, I still have school today.” She said, “I’ll come pay respects to Mother Empress after school.”
This was the first unusual thing Princess Pingcheng encountered today; soon she encountered the second.
As the princesses’ carriage traveled down the street cleared by the Imperial Guards, she did not see Yang Hui’s carriage that should have been waiting at the street corner.
Actually, Yang Hui did not need to wait at the street corner for her, but to show her good relationship with the Princess, Yang Hui deliberately followed alongside the Princess’s carriage.
It was a minor matter, and Princess Pingcheng did not mind, so she let her do as she pleased.
Why not wait today?
Princess Pingcheng sat inside the carriage, frowning slightly.
If she insisted on waiting, she had been tolerant and not rejected Duke Ding’an’s Mansion’s face.
But if she waited today and not tomorrow, the Princess’s face was not to be treated so casually.
Princess Pingcheng decided that during the break at school, she would tell Yang Hui to follow like the other companion readers from then on, and stop traveling alongside the carriage.
But when she arrived at school, even until the instructors came in to prepare for class, Yang Hui still had not arrived.
Princess Pingcheng turned her head slightly, looking at the last two empty seats.
That Liu Chan had not come either.
Something must have happened.
So, was this also why Mother Empress went to see Father Emperor so early?
