Wedding Night Ten Years Late

Chapter 9

(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 identity 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' identity. But they gave her these earrings to wear and they told her that it was her mother's family heirloom passed 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.