Chapter 283: [Emperor's Story 35] New identity

Their short reunion didn't last long. Because, when the front lines sent urgent notice, Jing Chen had no other choice but to take his troup and regrettably leave Cloud City.

Upon returning to his usual self, he no longer restricted Chu Jiao's movements, but before leaving the city, he made other arrangements on Chu Jiao's behalf.

After moving under the shadows for two long years, he had established a certain extent of strength outside the palace, additionally recruiting a couple of capable people under him. He was unsettled from the thought of leaving Chu Jiao behind at the unpredictable border and considered that it would be safer for her to stay at the capital instead.

"Obediently wait for my triumphant return to the capital, okay?"

He had already planned ahead and sent a letter to his master, Imperial Tutor Jiang, asking him to take Chu Jiao in as well as prepare a new identity for her to assume. Moreover, he had also arranged for some people to protect Chu Jiao on her way back to the capital.

That's right. Jing Chen already understood his own and Imperial Tutor Jiang's true identity. Before setting out for this military campaign, Imperial Tutor Jiang deliberately shared his origins to him, and this was another reason why the other personality had formed inside of him.

As it turned out, his mother did not enter the palace out of her own volition. In truth, the reason why he had lived such a wretched and cruel life was due to the people living inside the palace.

Jing Chen's hatred towards the imperial palace grew deeper and more intense with this newfound knowledge. No matter what, he wanted to stand at the highest position, right under the heavens, and thoroughly crush the things those people desired like insignificant insects.

Chu Jiao readily agreed to Jing Chen's decision, because she knew that his campaign this time wouldn't fail.

In the plot, right before Jing Chen ascended the throne to become emperor and punished Marquis Weiyuan, it was mentioned that this war was in fact, Marquis Weiyuan's calculating scheme. He and the barbarians had made a deal, with Marquis Weiyuan pretending to lose several cities, but making a successful counterattack, gaining victory as well as adding military accomplishment to his name. Whereas, the barbarians plundered the city's grains and livestock, both sides mutually benefitting from the agreement.

Before Jing Chen set out for his journey, she packed him some dry rations and sesame seed flat cakes that she had spent the whole night making, placing them into a bag and handing it to Jing Chen.

The young man had already grown so much taller than her that Chu Jiao had to stand on her tiptoes just to reach him.

"Don't let yourself get hurt," She gently patted his head and worriedly exhorted him like a young child, saying tenderly, "Come back safely, I'll be right here, waiting for you."

The young man slowly hooked his arm around her and pressed her body into an embrace.

"If..." He lowered his eyes, with red flashing across them, "If I die, will you grieve for me?"

He had dissociative identity disorder. And, since she had already discovered this, she knew that he could also fade away.

"What do you mean if you die?" Chu Jiao pulled the man's ear to nag him, "Listen to me, didn't you say that you were going to give me a high position along with great wealth?!"

The young man chuckled lightheartedly, laughing in relief, "That's right! Just wait for my triumphant return, once I marry you, you will become empress!"

"Are you looking for death? How can you say such daring words out loud!" Chu Jiao quickly covered his mouth in a panic and glared at him, "You could've just said this privately underneath our covers!"

Jing Chen gnawed on her delicate finger playfully, "Alright, alright. Wait for my return, and we'll slowly and surely talk it over underneath our covers!"

Chu Jiao couldn't stand his sweet talk any longer and ushered him out the door with a giddy smile on her face, "Just quickly go, quickly go! Stop wasting time!"

*

Watching the young man leave far away, Chu Jiao then turned back to her route, arriving back at the capital.

In truth, right before Jing Chen's departure from Cloud City, Chu Jiao was nearly finished with her mission from entangling with him these last few days. Her progress rate in this world had already reached 90%, and with just one more absorption of his body fluids, she would finally be able to reach her goal and finish her mission. Yet, right when she was about to come down to it, Chu Jiao hesitated.

She couldn't stand to leave this world, she couldn't stand leaving this person's side yet again.

Even though he didn't remember her every time they met through the different worlds, at the very least, they were able to fall in love with each other. If she were to return to her original world, his existence would no longer be present.

At the thought of this, Chu Jiao's solemn heart started clenching in pain.

That's why... She'll stay with him for a little white longer, just for a little while.

At the very least, she wanted to see this boy become emperor and accompany him to face his darkest days.

※

"I really don't know what you youngsters are thinking these days!" Imperial Tutor Jiang looked over at Chu Jiao, who was gone before and had recently come back, once again shaking his head in disbelief and sighing.

Chu Jiao playfully stuck out her tongue. Towards Jing Chen's master, she acted both respectful as well as fearful. However, upon learning that Jing Chen had already recognized him as family, Chu Jiao felt happy for Jing Chen. Her boy finally had a family in this world who loved him unconditionally.

Imperial Tutor Jiang looked at the peach-faced little lady in front of him and recalled the plan his grandson had mentioned in the letter, lightly stroking his beard with an aching head. This little brat, leave it up to him to stir such big troubles!

"That's enough. Now that you've come back, don't reside in that small worn-out room and go stay in the main courtyard."

Imperial Tutor Jiang then called the housekeeper and said a few words to him, leaving Chu Jiao with an ineffable face. She was going to live in the courtyard? With whose identity?

Soon, Chu Jiao got to know of her new persona.

She had actually become a blood-related family member of Imperial Tutor Jiang's daughter, who he had been searching for so many years—— She had become Imperial Tutor Jiang's 'granddaughter'!

The Emperor was extremely moved by Imperial Tutor's Jiang attachment to kinship, leading him to particularly confer the name 'Princess Huanjiao' to the long lost 'granddaughter' that Imperial Tutor Jiang had found with great difficulty, even bestowing Chu Jiao with several precious treasures.

"This, Sixth Prince is clearly your grandson!" Chu Jiao stared at the table brimming with conferred gifts, feeling uncertain as to what Imperial Tutor Jiang was planning.

"When his mother entered the palace, she tactically changed her name, so I could never recognize it my whole life," Imperial Tutor Jiang shook his head in disappointment, "And so, I can only keep this matter to myself."

Chu Jiao nodded, "But..."

"Oh you, usually you're quite the smart little lady. But why isn't your little head working right now?!" Imperial Tutor Jiang mischievously poked Chu Jiao's forehead, "My grandson harbors deep feelings for you, are you not going to marry him in the future?"

Chu Jiao feigned a shy look on her face, accompanied by her lowering her head, silently cursing Jing Chen in her heart for telling his grandfather everything, "Ho... How could that be..."

"Isn't that right," Imperial Tutor Jiang clapped his hands as if everything was settled, "Since you're marrying him, that makes you my granddaughter-in-law, and that's no different to being my granddaughter."

Chu Jiao couldn't win against this old man in a battle of words, so she brought up, "But, how could my identity... be a match for Jing Chen..."

This was something she had been actually worried about this entire time. Moreover, she had also heard that Jing Chen was already engaged to the female lead, Yun Wan, before he left the city.

"You should leave these trifle matters for him to worry about, this old man couldn't really care less!"

Imperial Tutor Jiang waved his hand nonchalantly and put on a look that said to not involve him in this matter.

Chu Jiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry and could only accept her new identity with no other choice.

Even though Imperial Tutor Jiang didn't have any sons, he still had a few disciples over the past few years. And, among them was now an assistant minister at the Ministry of Appointments. Imperial Tutor Jiang sent him word, and the assistant minister sent his own daughter to accompany Chu Jiao in and out of various social circles composed of the young ladies in the city.

After experiencing so many worlds, Chu Jiao's style of conversation and confidence had grown considerably, compared to the her at the beginning. Under her planned introductions, she quickly managed to get acquainted to several young ladies from prestigious houses. Before long, the name 'Princess Huanjiao' spread widely across the rear courts of the city, and Yun Wan, who was sitting at home feeling at ease, waiting to be married off, also managed to hear about it.

[Completed]