Vol 1 Chapter 9 (1/2)

Chapter Nine (Part 1)

The citizens of the Northern Empire applauded General Chen’s wife’s wisdom.

The Chen Household received a second good news. Their young mistress Mo Lan was pregnant with General Chen’s child.

After Chen Quan Ran heard the good news he was even more affectionate and protective toward his precious wife.

While everyone at the Chen Manor were rejoicing, the palace released portraits of a Southern Yue spy suspect.

Xiao Ha returned from the palace and he showed Chen Quan Ran the strange portrait. Instead of a suspect’s face, the portrait showed a side profile of the suspect wearing a vintage earring.

‘Why does the earring look familiar to me?’ Chen Quan Ran asked.

‘General Chen the timing is strange,’ Xiao Ha said. ‘Recently the Southern Yue Prince Jing Qi and General Fang visited the imperial city and now the emperor wants to capture a suspected Southern Yue spy.’

Mo Lan brought two bowls of soup into the calligraphy room.

‘Lieutenant Xiao, you’re here too,’ Mo Lan said. ‘It’s good I brought two bowls of soup. You should eat with Quan Ran too.’

‘Thank you young mistress,’ Xiao Ha said.

Chen Quan Ran frowned. ‘Xiao Lan you’re pregnant. You should let the maids and servants carry heavy objects. If something happens to our child then grandma won’t spare me.’

‘It’s not heavy,’ Mo Lan said. ‘Besides it’s good for our child for me to be active while pregnant.’

Mo Lan put the bowls of soup on the table and she noticed the portrait on the table looked familiar.

Chen Quan Ran received a shock after he looked carefully at Mo Lan’s side profile. He knew Mo Lan’s cheeks and red lips were soft. But it was her earrings that shocked him. His heart was beating fast. Her earrings were identical to the portrait of the spy suspect.

Xiao Ha knew something catastrophic happened because it was rare General Chen would show any signs of shock.

Mo Lan’s heart was beating fast too.

‘Spy?’ Mo Lan asked. ‘Me?’

Chen Quan Ran’s complexion paled. He grabbed the portrait and teared it to pieces.

‘What fool dare to accuse my wife being a spy?’ Chen Quan Ran asked. ‘After I catch the fool, I’ll skin the fool!’

Mo Lan touched her earrings and she didn’t know why there was a portrait of her earrings.

Xiao Ha recovered faster. ‘Young mistress, who gave you the earrings?’

‘For as long as I can remember I’ve always worn these earrings,’ Mo Lan said.

No one had talked about the ident.i.ty of Mo Lan’s parents. The Chen Household adopted her since she was a child. They told her that her parents died and they didn’t know her parents’ family name. She lived inside the Chen Manor for many years and it was an unspoken understanding between her and the Chen elders that they didn’t want to talk about her parents’ ident.i.ty. But they gave her these earrings to wear and they told her that it was her mother’s family heirloom pa.s.sed onto her. That was why her mother’s earrings were like an extension of herself and she didn’t part with them even though she was given many more beautiful earrings to wear. It shocked her that her mother’s earrings made her a spy suspect.

‘It’s a misunderstanding,’ Chen Quan Ran said. ‘I’ll go to the palace and I’ll ask the emperor to clear this misunderstanding.’

Suddenly imperial guards appeared. They surrounded the room and prevented Chen Quan Ran from leaving.

‘What are you all doing here?’ Chen Quan Ran asked. ‘Do you want to rebel? Why do you dare to inspect the Chen Manor that’s under the emperor’s protection?’

The head imperial guard disregarded General Chen’s status and contributions to protecting the Northern Empire. The head imperial guard ordered the imperial guards to arrest General Chen’s wife.

Chen Quan Ran was prepared to strike everyone who dared to arrest Mo Lan.

‘Someone reported General Chen’s wife is the spy suspect and we’re here to arrest General Chen’s wife,’ the head imperial guard.

The head imperial guard pa.s.sed Chen Quan Ran the same portrait that Chen Quan Ran teared.

‘General Chen your wife’s earrings matches the Southern Yue spy suspect,’ the head imperial guard said. ‘I hope General Chen will cooperate and hand over your wife for interrogation. I promise after the interrogation I’ll return your wife to the Chen Manor.’

Chen Quan Ran laughed coldly. He wasn’t going to let anyone take Mo Lan away from him.

‘What will you do if I’m not going to let you take my wife away?’ Chen Quan Ran asked.

‘General Chen this is the emperor’s edict,’ the head imperial guard said. ‘The emperor gave us permission to use force to arrest the spy suspect.’

***

Chapter Nine (Part 2)

Chen Quan Ran and the imperial guards were at a standstill.

‘I want to see who dares to take my granddaughter-in-law away from here!’ Madam said and struck her staff on the floor.

The imperial guards’ head ached enough to explode after they heard Madam’s angry tone. Especially the head imperial guard who was scared to offend General Chen and General Chen’s grandma. But the imperial guards’ master was the emperor and they were forced to follow the emperor’s orders.

The head imperial guard formally greeted Madam.

‘Save the pleasantries!’ Madam said. ‘Didn’t you say you wanted to take my good granddaughter-in-law away? What crime did my Xiao Lan commit for you to dare arrest her?’

‘Someone reported General Chen’s wife’s ident.i.ty is suspicious,’ the head imperial guard said. ‘We’re here to arrest General Chen’s wife for interrogation.’

‘Dog s.h.i.+t!’ Madam cursed.

Madam held up her staff and she didn’t let any of the imperial guards near Mo Lan.

‘Xiao Lan married into the Chen Household since she was nine years old,’ Madam said. ‘She had followed me for ten years. How can she be a Southern Yue spy? Everyone in the Chen Household are loyal to the Northern Empire. My husband and son sacrificed their lives to protect the Northern Empire! I’m old but it doesn’t mean my head is muddled. Everyone here knows clearly about Xiao Lan’s contribution to the Northern Empire. Without Xiao Lan the Northern Empire would have lost Cai Ning to Southern Yue.’

Madam glared scornfully at the imperial guards.

‘Because of a vague painting you little dog s.h.i.+ts lost your heads and dared to accuse my Xiao Lan being a spy!’ Madam cursed.

The head imperial guard was intimidated by Madam’s glare.

‘Did you know that inside Xiao Lan’s stomach is my great-grandchild?’ Madam asked. ‘If anything happens to my great-grandchild then who will be held responsible?’

The imperial guards looked at each other. They didn’t know what to do in a complicated situation.

‘Madam everything you said is right,’ the head imperial guard said. ‘But Madam knows we’re merely the emperor’s servants and we need to follow the emperor’s orders.’

Xiao Ha saw General Chen’s eyes narrowed and he knew General Chen was enraged enough to flip the kingdom over.

Indeed Chen Quan Ran was enraged and his dangerous cold tone frightened the imperial guards.

‘Today you people have two choices,’ Chen Quan Ran said. ‘You people can choose to stay here and prepare to die or you people can take a step toward me and see if I can be forced to step aside.’

The imperial guards looked at each other. They knew General Chen’s threat was real and if they stepped forward then they would all lose their lives.

The head imperial guard knew it was safer for him and the imperial guards to retreat and think of an effective way to deal with the situation.

The imperial guards left the room and Chen Quan Ran kicked a nearby flower pot. Chen Quan Ran was enraged the emperor wanted to arrest his Mo Lan.

Madam empathised her grandson’s feelings.

Chen Quan Ran composed himself after he noticed Mo Lan’s frightened expression. He took a step toward her and hugged her.

‘Xiao Lan, you don’t need to be scared,’ Chen Quan Ran said. ‘I promise I won’t let anyone take you away from me and I’ll clear this misunderstanding soon.’

Although Chen Quan Ran held Mo Lan protectively against his chest, she was still worried she was a burden to the Chen Household because they were a.s.sociated with her.

Later Chen Quan Ran visited the palace but the eunuchs informed him that the emperor was unwell and the emperor didn’t want to see anyone.

The emperor’s refusal to see Chen Quan Ran made him want to kill all the imperial guards.

The eunuchs feared for their lives. They ran to report to the emperor.

‘What is it?’ the emperor asked.

‘It’s General Chen…’ a young eunuch said.

The emperor gave the young eunuch a piece of paper to give to Chen Quan Ran.

The young eunuch reluctantly pa.s.sed the piece of paper to Chen Quan Ran.