Too high to reach

Chapter 404 I Want to Plead for Mercy
“Stop crying, get up and come with me…” Zhang Debao said.

Someone helped the prince up and carried him away, while someone else was unlocking the door with a clatter.

Ignoring her aching neck, Mo Yuan struggled to her feet, anxiously trying to squeeze through the gate. She hadn't eaten or slept for days; she didn't want to stay in this awful place a moment longer.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind, "Mo Yuan..."

Turning around, I saw the Crown Princess.

Without saying a word, the Crown Princess knelt down before her.

Mo Yuan was startled and quickly pulled her away, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

"Please wait a moment and let me say something."

"You..." Mo Yuan's heart was practically leaping out of her chest, fearing that if she lingered even a moment longer, she would be detained again.

"Please speak, please speak. Hurry up..."

"Given the crimes committed by the Empress and the Crown Prince, they certainly won't survive. As for me... my family is probably already caught up in it too." She took a deep breath. Although she could understand everything, how could she not be afraid?

"That's all I am. But my two children... Vige'er, you watched me get pregnant, watched him being born, and you comforted him every day. He... he loves you very much... I beg you, please save them."

These past few days, Mo Yuan had only thought of herself. Now, looking at the Crown Princess… she understood that her departure would be a final farewell…

The woman in front of her was one of the few she truly admired from the bottom of her heart.

Looking back on the moments they spent together, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"But how could I do that? I myself..."

"Mo Yuan..." The Crown Princess clung to her like a lifeline, "I can't say that all the kindness I showed you before was genuine. But I truly haven't wronged you, and I even saved you from Consort Zhang's clutches. I hope you'll remember the favors I've done for you..."

"But..." Mo Yuan didn't know what to say for a moment. According to her past habits, sweet words would come out of her mouth without hesitation. She should agree first to appease her. She wouldn't do it later...

And even if she refuses outright now, who can blame her for this?

But she couldn't speak either language, nor could she move her feet. She turned to look at Zhang Debao.

Zhang Debao shook his head helplessly and whispered, "It's already a great achievement that you were able to get out..."

"Young master..." The Crown Princess cried to Zhang Debao again, "I know this is difficult, I know all of this... I just hope that, if there is even the slightest possibility, you can help me. I beg you..." She released Mo Yuan and kowtowed repeatedly.

Mo Yuan quickly pulled her back, "Well... I promise to talk to Princess Qi, but whether it will work out or not, I really can't guarantee it!"

"Thank you! I will never forget your kindness!" The Crown Princess looked up and gazed deeply at Mo Yuan until she disappeared...

All the initial surprise vanished, and Mo Yuan left the house with red eyes. She followed Zhang Debao with her head down.

Once she got in the car, she didn't say a word.

Zhang Debao asked, "Where are you planning to go?"

"Ah?" Mo Yuan then realized that she couldn't go back to the Crown Prince's residence... Suddenly she remembered, "Debao, is my mother alright? Was she implicated?"

"I went to see it a couple of days ago and wasn't affected."

"Well... I'll go home first. I'll wash up and change my clothes, then I'll go to the Prince Qi's residence..." She sniffed herself, "I stink!"

Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face again. "I was so scared. What happened?"

Zhang Debao gave a brief account of what had happened.

"So it was a deep-seated blood feud from before... Your Highness has had a tough time," Mo Yuan murmured.

"Yes. My mother said that even if they had suspected it before, they had no evidence. Now it's all settled. The Prince is overseeing the country, and there are many things he hasn't been involved in before. So he's been very busy and hasn't been back to the Prince's residence much. Because of him, the Empress hasn't said much about you, so..."

"Um...I know." Mo Yuan sobbed softly, feeling wronged. "Then why did you come to pick me up?"

"...I, I just happen to have some time."

As soon as the car arrived at the door, I heard someone shouting in the yard.

Mo Yuan was startled and lifted the curtain to go out, but Zhang Debao pulled her back, "Wait!"

"I don't know what's wrong?" She was afraid someone would come to her house and arrest her.

"Don't rush. The Crown Prince's case is not yet closed. It's not appropriate for you to show your face now... Don't cause trouble for Her Majesty."

"You're so meticulous now!" Mo Yuan looked at him admiringly.

Zhang Debao blushed. "I'll go take a look first. You wait here."

The courtyard gate was wide open. Liu Shi's hair was disheveled, and she had lost one of her shoes. Opposite her was a woman, accompanied by a group of servants.

They were shouting something.

"What happened?" Zhang Debao asked in a deep voice.

And I must say, the experience he's had these past few days hasn't been for nothing; Zhang Debao now exudes quite the air of an official.

Upon seeing him, Liu exclaimed with delight, "Young Master Zhang!?"

The woman opposite him glanced at him, noticing his fine clothes and refined demeanor. She thought to herself, but dared not be presumptuous. "Young master," she said, "this is our Liu family's courtyard. We are currently resolving some private matters, and the men of the household are not present, so it is inappropriate to entertain guests."

“This is my courtyard, it’s written on the deed!” Liu exclaimed. “Alright! I’ve made myself clear! Mo Yuan is involved in no small matter. If things go wrong, it could mean the extermination of her entire family. We kindly lent you the courtyard to live in, so don’t drag us into this mess…”

Zhang Debao understood immediately, "Mrs. Mo, where is Master Mo?"

"He went back to the main courtyard today... Did you come looking for him because you have news of Yuanyuan?" Liu asked him anxiously.

"I came here on behalf of His Highness Prince Qi and Princess Qi to take a look..."

"Ah?! Your Highness and Princess still remember us?" Liu was very excited.

"Of course I miss our own relatives! I still have to go see Lord Mo later!"

Upon hearing this, the woman became somewhat frightened. Her eyes darted around, and she said, "Oh, sister, please don't blame me for this. What's the situation in the capital right now? Everyone's panicking! They're all afraid of getting involved... We haven't heard a word about Yuanyuan. With so many people in our family, we're terrified! Alright... I know about your situation. Go back and discuss it with your brother."

After saying that, he bowed to Zhang Debao and left in a hurry.

The courtyard fell silent. Liu said to Zhang Debao, "Thank you, Young Master Zhang. It's fortunate you came... The Liu family is truly despicable!" She lowered her head to look for her shoes.

"Mother?" Mo Yuan saw those people leave from the car, so she got out and rushed into the yard.

"Yuanyuan??" Liu was both surprised and delighted, so much so that she almost fainted.

"Mother!" Mo Yuan rushed over.

Zhang Debao looked at the mess in the yard, sighed, picked up a few things, went out, closed the yard gate, and waited in the car.

"Your father asked your uncle for news about you. But your uncle couldn't find out anything either... Yuanyuan, now that you're out, everything's alright, right?!"

“I thought everything was fine, but Young Master Zhang said… the case isn’t closed, and nothing is settled yet. We have to wait… It was Yi Yi who begged the Prince to release me.”

"Yiyi is a good girl..." Liu Shi rarely praised her daughter, looking at her with heartache, "You didn't suffer in there, did you? They didn't beat you, did they?"

"No, Mother, get me some food and bathwater..."

"Okay. Mom will get it ready for you!"

Zhang Debao sat in the car outside, working tirelessly like an old ox, without complaint or regret.

After a while, Mo Yuan came out, dressed quite simply today.

“Young Master Zhang, if I were to speak to the Empress about the Crown Princess… how could I possibly bring myself to say such a thing?” Mo Yuan asked on the way.

"What do you want to ask?"

"Hmm. The Crown Princess is a good person... Since she has agreed, I would like to plead for her no matter what..."

At this moment, Mo Yuan seemed to grow even taller in Zhang Debao's eyes.

At the Qi Prince's residence, Mo Yi glanced at Mo Yuan and said, "You've lost weight."

Mo Yuan suddenly knelt down before Mo Yi...

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for saving my life... I was so scared..." she said, and then she started crying again.

"Alright, alright, get up!" Mo Yi frowned. "You don't need to be so polite! The reason you were allowed out is because you did a great service. Otherwise, with the laws of the land as they are, what could I do..."

Mo Yuan knelt on the ground, wiped away her tears, and then stood up and sat down. "You're so honest! If it were me... I would definitely brag about it." After saying that, tears streamed down her face again. "Your belly is so big... How are you? Is everything alright?"

"It's all right. Don't cry..."

"Yiyi, you have no idea, when I got home today, my aunt was yelling at my mom! They were pulling and tugging at her, and she even lost her shoes. Things were scattered all over the floor... The Liu family is really awful!"

"You're only finding out now?" Mo Yi rolled her eyes. "Back then..." She thought about it again, and realized there was really no way to talk about it. In the entire capital, who would dare to get involved in something like this?
"Although the prince has allowed you to leave, the case is not yet closed, and there must be an explanation in the end. You should not show your face in public for now. It's not convenient for me here either, it won't work..." She wanted to suggest that if necessary, you could stay at the estate for a while.

As a result, Mo Yuan said, "Young Master Zhang said he could provide me with a small courtyard to live in."

"Mo Yuan," Mo Yi said angrily again, "You're not thinking you can still marry him, are you?"

Mo Yuan felt a pang of pain in her heart and burst into tears again...

"I'll be frank, I don't want you to keep dreaming. It's really impossible! You're lucky you can even get away with this. How can you possibly get past the status of being the Crown Prince's concubine? How will you get past his parents? In the years to come, the gossip and slander will drown you both!"

Looking at her thin figure, Mo Yi said helplessly, "I know he truly loves you. So don't hurt him!"

Mo Yuan was silent for a while. "Let's not talk about this. Yi Yi, there's something I want to ask you for help with, but I don't want to put you in a difficult position. If you can do it, then do it; if you can't... then just pretend I didn't say anything."

"What is it now?!"

"It's the Crown Princess. Knowing she's not going to live, she wants to beg me to tell you: could you spare her children's lives..."

Mo Yi frowned. "Mo Yuan, you must understand: the Crown Princess's children... are also the Crown Prince's children!"

"This……"

"The evil deeds committed by the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Princess Yu'an are all true and outrageous! The case is now closed. They cannot escape punishment, both legally and morally."

“I know…I know. Yi Yi…De Bao told me all about it in the car, and I was trembling all over when I heard it…I’ve only ever read about things like this in books, but I never imagined that it would actually happen in real life.”

"But, Your Highness, in all the time I've been in this residence, I've never seen her show any malice towards anyone. She even saved me… You know, Consort Zhang was incredibly arrogant back then. She faced considerable pressure to save me. If it weren't for her, I would definitely be dead. And look…"

She pulled down her collar, revealing purple pinch marks underneath...

(End of this chapter)