Her guards

Chapter 228 The Maid's Honesty

"Impersonating someone else was a last resort, to deal with those who wanted to harm people."

"The captain has nothing to do with this and is innocent."

"Moreover, they have always helped me a lot."

"The things that happened before are one thing, but this time it concerns you personally; it's a matter of life and death for you."

Mo Zheng spoke softly.

"I……"

Just then, the silent person on the other end suddenly clicked his tongue and interrupted, "Are you telling me this so easily? Do your mistress and His Majesty know? You bastard, are you deliberately trying to get me silenced by your mistress and His Majesty?"

"When this bastard says something unpleasant, it means... he's happy." Mo Zheng smiled and said, "No, although it was my own decision, and although I am a maid, I have a deep bond with Miss Yang. And His Majesty, as you know, is now completely obedient to Miss Yang... so you don't need to worry."

After she finished speaking, there was no response from the other end.

Perhaps it was because of the night, but once the talking stopped, the room became extremely quiet.

Just as Mo Zheng was about to speak again, Wei Jiao spoke first.

"However, I still don't understand why you did this," he said lazily. "Are you pitying me?"

“Of course not…” Mo Zheng explained.

Before she could finish speaking, Wei Jiao interrupted her.

“You’re ridiculous,” he scoffed. “You’re pitying the wrong person. You should be pitying my dad.”

Mo Zheng was slightly taken aback and looked at him.

In the darkness, Wei Jiao's eyes were full of smiles.

“My father was blind this time. He thought he had married a princess, but in reality, she was a maid.”

"Such a good thing, Miss Yang, why are you here muttering about feeling guilty and reluctant?"

"You pity my father that much?"

Mo Zheng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

I smiled to myself.

Yes, that's right. Indeed, this is a good thing for Wei Jiao.

"As expected, I am not as good as my senior brother." She raised her hand in a salute.

"Good to know," Wei Jiao said lazily. "Get lost."

Mo Zheng smiled and said "okay" repeatedly, then added solicitously, "Senior brother, get some rest."

After saying that, he went outside.

"Hey."

Wei Jiao's voice came from behind.

Mo Zheng stopped and turned around, waiting for him to speak.

Wei Jiao's voice slowly drifted from the darkness.

"I warn you."

"Don't disturb my sleep anymore!"

Mo Zheng smiled again: "Yes, ma'am."

As the sound faded, the door closed, and silence fell instantly outside, as if no one had ever been there.

Wei Jiao did not lie down, but sat leaning against the bookshelf, his eyes still looking towards the door in the darkness.

"I couldn't bear it, and I felt guilty."

He read it aloud softly.

……

……

There was some noise outside the library.

Mo Zheng summoned the guards and escorted the drunken and asleep senior brothers back to their respective rooms. She instructed their servants to keep an eye on them, while she carried Yang Luo back to her room. As she walked through the covered corridor, she couldn't help but stop and look back at the library.

The lamps used for drinking have been removed, and the library is shrouded in night, with only the luminous pearls hanging from the eaves shining like stars.

Wei Jiao's sudden return made her somewhat uneasy.

She knew that Wei Jiao was sent by the emperor to investigate the Yunling bandits, who were remnants of the previous dynasty.

This was Wei Cui's work.

Although Wei Cui told her that no trace of them had been exposed.

Although she knew they were careful and discreet in their daily lives.

But nothing in this world is foolproof.

Especially someone as cautious and intelligent as Wei Jiao.

Therefore, she asked Yang Luo to request His Majesty to set the wedding date for a very recent time, hoping to interrupt the verification process there.

Then, Wei Jiao indeed returned.

It came earlier than expected.

Moreover, they said the investigation wasn't finished yet.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief and left the library, but went back downstairs.

If no problem was found, why did Wei Jiao rush back in such a hurry...?

Even if there were an imperial decree regarding the marriage, Wei Jiao could easily ignore it if he wanted to. The wedding ceremony wouldn't be held in the capital either; Miss Yang would go to Longxi, escorted by an envoy sent by the emperor and personally escorted by people from the Duke of Ding'an's mansion. Wei Cui's people would come to the capital to welcome her, and that would be enough.

Whether Wei Jiao comes back or not is irrelevant.

Even if he doesn't come back on the wedding day, Wei Cui can make all the arrangements.

This marriage was agreed upon by the emperor and Wei Cui, and was intended for the benefit of both parties and the world.

But Wei Jiao still came back, ahead of schedule.

It's obvious that he is...

care.

She sighed inwardly, realizing how much she cared...

She turned back to Wei Jiao and told him what kind of person the bride was, in this marriage he cared about...

Although I can only say half of it.

Wei Jiao didn't react much.

Wei Jiao, perhaps you've already guessed it?

After recognizing her father as a relative, Yang Luo interacted with the emperor, and her words and actions, often appearing before him as a maid, were all suspicious. Although she claimed she didn't want to have much contact with her father and was merely using him, the intelligent and perceptive Wei Jiao would certainly have doubts...

That's good. By speaking out proactively, they can show their "honesty" and avoid Wei Jiao from investigating and overthinking.

Mo Zheng looked back at the library, breathed a sigh of relief, carried Yang Luo on her back, and strode forward lightly.

But after taking two steps, he stopped.

Something still seems off?
When Wei Jiao revealed her identity as a maid, did she leave out a sentence?

According to his usual practice, shouldn't he have asked, "Is there anything else? Think again, is there another identity you might have?"

As he was leaving, he sighed.

She thought he was going to ask something.

He simply told me to stop disturbing his sleep.

She turned back to look at the library again.

Is that all he really wanted to say?
……

……

As dawn broke, the gates of the Duke of Ding'an's mansion opened wide, and servants lined up in neat rows. The Duke of Ding'an and his wife, along with a group of their children, also hurried over.

"Show your spirits, everyone!" Yang Hui scolded her younger siblings from the middle of the crowd. "Smile at everyone you see, be more enthusiastic."

The eldest son, Yang Shanshu, frowned: "This is going too far. She's a junior coming home, and my parents and I are the elders. How can we come to greet her..."

Although Yang Hui knew Yang Luo's true identity, given that this matter was a closely guarded secret, the Duke and Duchess of Ding'an did not tell their other children, lest too many people gossip and cause trouble.

Therefore, Yang Shanshu was unaware of this.

"What seniority do you have! Who do you think you are!" Yang Hui glared. "You're a scholar, yet you can't even get into the Imperial Academy. A-Luo is a disciple of the Grand Master, you should call him Grandmaster!"

Yang Shanshu glared angrily: "You—"

Duke Ding'an turned around and scolded him impatiently, "Stop arguing! Be quiet! What kind of order is this, making such a racket!"

Lady Ding'an also gestured, "Everyone, stand still quickly, the person is about to arrive, and the palace staff are also there."

Upon hearing that someone from the palace had arrived, Yang Shanshu stopped talking. He needed to leave a respectable and good impression in front of His Majesty, so he quickly straightened his clothes and stood beside his parents.

Outside the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, a royal-style carriage slowly drove up, surrounded by eunuchs and escorted by imperial guards. People on the street gathered around to watch and discuss.

Who came out of the palace?

"No, they came from the Academy of Chinese Studies."

"Those are the princesses."

"The princesses no longer study."

"I know, it's Yang Luo, the disciple of the Imperial Academy. She's getting married and has returned to the Duke of Ding'an's mansion to await her wedding."

“That Miss Yang, um, I wasn’t wrong, it is indeed… the princess’s carriage.”

"Stop talking nonsense."

"It's not that I'm talking nonsense, otherwise how could a disciple of the Imperial Academy be allowed to use a princess's carriage? It's clearly His Majesty's doing this on purpose..."

"Well, I heard from the palace that it's because His Majesty arranged the marriage that His Majesty is giving him preferential treatment."

The Duke of Ding'an and his wife, standing outside the door, were not alarmed by the gossip; on the contrary, they looked smug.

Ah, it's not just the imperial carriages that escorted her; these past few days, the palace has been sending dowry items every day—gold, silver, jewels, and exquisite brocades…

Your Majesty, this is clearly no longer a cover-up.

Duke Ding'an straightened his back and looked at the royal carriage that slowly stopped in front of the gate, feeling somewhat dazed.

In fact, logically speaking, this scene should have been like this long ago.

His sister was the emperor's wife, his niece was a princess, and he was a member of the imperial family.

He thought of that night last year, late at night, when Miss Yang suddenly came to his door. He was terrified at the time, and now, thinking back on it...
Thank goodness, the Yang family's fate has returned!

In my line of sight, one girl jumped down first, and then helped another girl up.

"My child." Lady Ding'an hurried over, pushed the maid aside, and personally reached out to support Miss Yang's hand. "The family is waiting for you."

Miss Yang smiled slightly at her and said, "Thank you, Aunt."

(End of this chapter)