Too high to reach

Chapter 328: Jiedu’s fate
The next day, Zhang Debao arrived at the agreed-upon teahouse.

He brought two of his closest servants with him; one stayed downstairs to guard the gate, and he took the other upstairs…

As he climbed the stairs, he felt his steps were heavy and his mind was in turmoil...

Find the private room and knock on the door.

As soon as the door opened, Qiuyue stood inside. Through her shoulder, Zhang Debao saw Moyuan sitting at the round table.

Qiuyue made way for him, went out, and turned back to close the door. He stood outside the door with his servant.

Zhang Debao, lost in thought, stepped forward, bowed, and said nothing.

Mo Yuan stood up and returned the greeting, "Young Master Zhang... please sit down."

This new way of getting along is different from before; everyone is going their own way, and ultimately, they've become estranged...

Zhang Debao sat down, looking at Mo Yuan: She had shed the naiveté and frivolity of her youth, and her expressions were no longer as rich. Her eyes were calm…

Her clothes and jewelry were made of very expensive materials, but the designs were simple, and she exuded a noble fragrance...

"What happened?" Zhang Debao asked softly.

Mo Yuan remained silent.

"Tell me, I'll definitely help if I can." He even had two large silver notes on him...

Mo Yuan suddenly stood up and knelt down.

"You?" Zhang Debao was startled and reached out to help her, but then he thought, how could he have any physical contact with her now?

He withdrew his hand, sweating profusely, and said, "Let's talk this out. What are you doing?"

"Young Master Zhang, I'm so sorry..." Mo Yuan's tears flowed down her cheeks.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Debao quickly considered all possibilities. After the incident at Xijiao Camp, the two hadn't been in contact again; what could have happened?

"It's Mo Yuan's fault for being blind, vain, and foolish. She's blind to your care and sacrifices, only thinking about the power to command a large following. That's why... she's ended up like this, begging for your life, Young Master Zhang..."

"What happened? Why did it come to the point of needing help? Get up and tell me slowly..."

That's how coincidences happen in this world...

Zhang Debao gave Mo Yuan money, gifts, and arranged for servants to properly escort her into the East Palace.

Then, his mental illness also took its toll on his body, and he fell ill.

Once I recovered, I buried myself in work.

There was no possibility between him and Mo Yuan anymore. From the information he received, Mo Yuan had experienced some setbacks, but she was doing quite well.

So, he gradually calmed down.

He focused on his work and achieved certain successes. The praise from others made him very satisfied.

That memory has faded even further.

In addition to parents...

Seeing her sick and frail father and her exhausted mother, she felt anxious for them and couldn't bear it.

When his mother urged him to get married again, he nodded.

Of the girls mentioned, the mother admired one the most: she lost her mother at a young age and grew up away from home. She was clean-cut, efficient, very capable, and had a stable temperament.

“He’s not one to be jealous!” his mother said. His mother planned to have him take a few more concubines and have more children.

“Only a girl like this can take good care of you and manage the family business. Your mother is getting old, your father is in poor health, and you need to focus on your work. You need a very capable wife to assist you. This girl is excellent in every way!”

After reading it, he felt that what his mother said made sense.

In any case, he has had someone he loved deeply in his life.

From now on, I will live an ordinary life.

So, the mother agreed, and the couple's horoscopes were matched with the bride's family...

But right at this crucial moment, Mo Yuan came looking for her... and the first thing she did was kneel down, cry, and repent.

Zhang Debao's heart was in complete turmoil. "Get up! Do you really want me to kneel with you?" He finally reached out and helped Mo Yuan up.

Mo Yuan sat down, but tears still streamed down her face.

"What's wrong? Consort Zhang, who bullied you, is no longer here. You've been promoted to consort, isn't that a good thing? Why are you crying like this?"

"Because... I overheard that the Crown Prince summoned me to his residence to disgust and deal with Prince Qi. He said... he said that once things are done, he will kill me."

Zhang Debao was both surprised and surprised to hear this, but it also seemed reasonable.

Royal power struggles are never that simple.
In other words, it was their own family: without soldiers or power, they relied solely on the legacy of their ancestors for survival. Their father's health was poor, and they had lost many things. Therefore, they could not reach the center of power.

But now, just as he's starting to make a little progress, people are already coming to his door...

“But… how could you possibly hear something like this?” Zhang Debao didn’t believe it.

“I saved the gatekeeper’s family member, and he let me in. I was outside the gate, eavesdropping on the conversation between the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince.”

Zhang Debao didn't know what to say. There must be a reason why the Crown Prince wouldn't take her as a concubine…

But... as the crown prince, isn't this a bit too low-level and too childish?

Sure enough, he was even worse than I had imagined!

"So, what are your plans?"

"I don't know, I'm so scared..." Mo Yuan said, looking like a little animal caught in a trap. "Mo Yi probably found out something, so she told me that we shouldn't have anything to do with each other anymore... She said it, and she really stopped talking to me. My family... as you can imagine, is just an ordinary family. They have no opinions of their own."

“Well…” Zhang Debao thought quickly, “Since you can go out… why don’t you just run away? I’ll get you a new identity. Once you leave the capital, go back to my hometown. I can find someone to take care of you.”

Mo Yuan blinked. How could she possibly leave?

Seeing her expression, Zhang Debao understood... "Yuanyuan, you need to know that there is a huge difference in status between him and me, and there is almost nothing I can do. But you, once you enter the Eastern Palace, it is impossible to release you for no reason."

Mo Yuan nodded: "I know that."

"Then, what do you want me to do for you?"

Mo Yuan remained silent for a while before asking, "If I were to ask you, do you still have that kind of medicine that you mentioned last time... that can't determine the cause of death?"

"You!" Zhang Debao's mind went blank, and he couldn't breathe. He immediately reached out and covered her mouth.

Then he quickly got up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack to look outside.

Qiuyue and his servant were standing at the top of the stairs, looking down and chatting...

Feeling somewhat relieved, she turned around and bowed repeatedly to Mo Yuan: "My dear aunt... how can you say such things! If others hear this, do you know that your entire family will be executed?!"

"I know, please sit down first..."

Zhang Debao's legs went weak, and he slammed his buttocks onto the chair.

Mo Yuan moved closer, and Zhang Debao smelled her fragrance, but it didn't cause him any reaction. He was truly terrified.

"I'm trying to think of all the possible solutions. I can't just sit here and wait to die. If it really comes down to it that it's either him or me, of course I won't let him go!"

Zhang Debao shook his head with a wry smile: "You can't even think about that. Do you think it's a joke? Even an assassin, no matter how many years of training they've had, would be terrified the first time they kill someone. Imagining it and actually doing it are completely different things."

Besides, we have no idea how effective that medicine is! We haven't even tried it, who knows if we'll be discovered? Furthermore, is the death of the Crown Prince the same as that of an ordinary person? Countless experts are investigating. Once they find out, it's all over. This is a crime punishable by confiscation of property, extermination of the entire clan, and death by a thousand cuts. You absolutely mustn't do anything reckless.”

Mo Yuan was both convinced and unconvinced: "I know. But who can predict what will happen in this world? No one even knows about the death of the former Crown Prince. And Consort Zhang still wants to harm the Crown Princess?"
Besides, with his death... the Prince of Qi is the most likely candidate to be made crown prince; after all, he's my brother-in-law. I've eliminated a major enemy for him, so I can't say anything more..."

Zhang Debao covered her mouth again. How did I come to know such a crazy woman?
He was covered in cold sweat...

Well... bad things do happen.

Bad people don't necessarily have bad endings.

This is the helplessness and wonder of the world...

……

The kitten is still not better, and now my brother is sick.

I'm so frustrated... I'm not even going to look at what I've finished typing, I'm just typing it out with my eyes closed...